Hello,
Thanks for posting. Read more about herpes transmission at
http://www.ashastd.org/herpes/herpes_le ... ions.cfm#3Genital herpes is transmitted via skin to skin contact; this can involve genital to genital contact, or vaginal and anal sex. Hand to genital contact is not a likely means of transmitting herpes. The virus doesn't prefer the skin of the hands, for example, and the risk is greatest is there are openings (cuts, for example) on the hands that make contact with skin while virus is present. Were this to occur, most likely it would be during an outbreak (although the virus can be active with no symptoms).
It also isn't likely that one would contract genital herpes by touching themselves after first touching a partner's genital area. Of course, a good precaution is to avoid any contact with the genital area during an outbreak.
This doesn't specifically address your question, but below I've pasted info on oral sex and HSV we have on our Web site.
Quote:
If a person is experiencing symptoms orally, we recommend abstaining from performing oral sex and kissing others directly on the mouth until signs have healed and the skin looks normal again. Because most adults have oral herpes, we do not advise that a person stop giving or receiving affection altogether between outbreaks (when there are no signs or symptoms) simply because they have oral herpes. However, using a barrier (such as a dental dam) or condom when performing oral sex (even though there are no symptoms present around the mouth) can reduce the risk of contracting genital herpes.
By performing oral sex on someone who has genital herpes, it would be possible to contract oral herpes - but this is rare. Most cases of genital herpes are caused by HSV-2, which rarely affects the mouth or face. Also, and even more importantly, most adults already have oral HSV-1, contracted as a child through kissing relatives or friends.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Fredo
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