What to do if you have genital herpes

Genital herpes is a disease that is difficult to treat. Once it occurs, the patient will feel some symptoms and changes on the skin surface of his genitals. The best treatment for this disease is to receive antiviral treatment in the early stages, so that the symptoms can be improved at the very beginning and the patient's pain can be relieved.

Antiviral treatment is mainly used. The purpose of treatment is to relieve symptoms, reduce pain, shorten the course of disease and prevent secondary infection. Current treatment methods cannot completely eliminate the virus and eliminate recurrence.

1. General treatment

(1) Mainly keep the area clean and dry. Wash it with isotonic saline every day. If you feel pain, you can take painkillers orally to provide mental comfort.

(2) For those with bacterial infection, topical antibiotic ointment can be used.

(3) For patients with obvious local pain, 5% lidocaine hydrochloride ointment can be applied externally or oral analgesics can be taken.

(4) Psychological support: explaining the nature of the disease, the causes of relapse, and how to treat and deal with it, to enhance confidence in fighting the disease.

2. Antiviral drug treatment

Recommended treatment options include: acyclovir, taken orally, 5 times a day; or acyclovir, taken orally, 3 times a day; or valacyclovir, taken orally, 2 times a day; or famciclovir, taken orally, 3 times a day. If it is a new onset of genital herpes, the course of treatment is 7 to 10 days; for recurrent genital herpes, the course of treatment is 5 days. Those with frequent recurrences need to take a lower dose for a longer course of treatment.

HSV-2 is the main pathogen of genital herpes (90%), which causes primary genital herpes after infection. After the initial genital herpes subsides, the remaining virus transfers along the nerve axis through the peripheral nerves to the sacral ganglia and remains dormant for a long time. When the body's resistance is reduced or certain stimulating factors such as fever, cold, infection, menstruation, gastrointestinal dysfunction, trauma, etc., the latent virus can be activated and the virus will move down to the surface of the skin and mucous membranes to cause damage and lead to recurrence. Humans are the only host of herpes virus. The virus cannot survive outside the human body. Ultraviolet rays, ether and general disinfectants can inactivate it.