“I thought that since I didn’t have cold sores I couldn’t have herpes, but my doctor explained how herpes virus type 2 (HSV-2) only shows on the sex organs,” says our columnist about her diagnois. There are two kinds of herpes, oral and genital, and just because you don’t have cold sores doesn’t mean you can’t have herpes. Herpes virus type 2 (HSV-2) only shows on the sex organs. About one in six sexually active Americans have HSV-2. An even larger portion of the population — 80% to 90% — have the virus for oral herpes, but some people never have symptoms and never know.
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