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snkn179 t1_j6mh1fc wrote

Reply to comment by FloatingSalamander in The amount of people that do not know that a cold sore is herpes is surprising. by BellyScratchFTW

To add more info, there's 5 main types of virus in the herpes family that you'll often come across.

HHV-1: Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), causes cold sores.

HHV-2: Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), causes genital herpes.

HHV-3: Varicella zoster virus (VZV), causes chickenpox and shingles.

HHV-4: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), causes mononucleosis (glandular fever) and various lymphoid diseases.

HHV-5: Cytomegalovirus (CMV), another cause of mononucleosis.

But yeah the everyday usage of the word herpes is just for the herpes simplexes (HSV-1 and HSV-2).

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FloatingSalamander t1_j6ngzq7 wrote

The only thing to add is that although hsv 2 tends to give genital sores and HSV 1 oral sores, they both can infect both places.

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