Herpes, both genital and oral is caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus. There are two strains of this virus, HSV-1 AND HSV-2. HSV-1 is known to cause oral Herpes, while genital herpes is caused by the HSV-2 virus.

The common symptom for these two diseases is the appearance of blisters and sores on the body; the difference lies on the part of the body they appear. In case of oral herpes, they appear on the lips, in and on the mouth. In genital Herpes, the sores appear on the genital area—inside the vagina or on the cervix in the women and on the penis in the males, as also in the urinary tract of both men and women.

Herpes lesions first appear as small red burns then mature into blisters that later become sores. After a few weeks, these sores dry up and heal without scaling.

The first attack of the Herpes virus is called the primary episode. The symptoms appear within two to ten days of the infection and last for about two to three weeks. The first most noticeable symptom of the disease is the itching that the infected person feels when the sores appear. In case of oral herpes, the gums become red and swollen, and in some cases, the tongues develop a white coating.

Other symptoms of oral herpes include fever, muscle ache, difficulty eating, and feeling of irritability. It is important to remember that both oral herpes and genital herpes are infectious diseases.

In both variants of the disease, in most cases, there are no visible symptoms, or even when there are sores and blisters, people generally don’t identify them with herpes. Therefore, infected people unintentionally transfer the disease through physical contact- be it touching, kissing, or sexual activity.