how are cold sores spread?
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Cold sores spread from person to person by close contact, such as kissing. They're usually caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and less commonly herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Both of these viruses can affect your mouth or genitals and can be spread by oral sex.
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You are most contagious for two weeks after the cold sore initially appears, but because the virus lives in the body forever, it is always transmittable to others.
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The most common cause of cold sores is the herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1), but sometimes the herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) can cause it. In the United States (U.S.), between 50 and 80 percent of people have oral herpes, making them potentially susceptible to cold sores.
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It is possible for a person to transmit HSV-1 to others when the virus is inactive. However, HSV-1 is much more likely to be contagious when cold sores are present.
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Cold sores are caused by a virus called herpes simplex. Once you have the virus, it stays in your skin for the rest of your life. Sometimes it causes a cold sore.
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The herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes herpes, which is a viral infection. This virus causes open sores, also called cold sores or fever blisters, in or around the mouth. Cold sores are most common on the edges of the lips, but they can also appear inside the mouth, including the roof of the mouth.
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A cold sore is a group of tiny, painful blisters caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). They're also called fever blisters or herpes simplex labialis. Up to 90% of people around the world have at least one form of HSV. The symptoms are usually the most severe the first you time you get cold sores.
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Cold sores usually appear when you are sick or stressed. They are also called fever blisters. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Fluid in the blisters contains live virus.
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Cold sores are caused by infection with specific strains of HSV. HSV-1 is the strain that most commonly causes cold sores. However, HSV-2, the strain that causes genital herpes, can also cause cold sores. HSV is very contagious.
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Cold sores are small blisters that develop on the lips or around the mouth. They're caused by the herpes simplex virus and usually clear up without treatment within 7 to 10 days. You may not have any symptoms when you first become infected with the herpes simplex virus.
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While canker sores are not contagious, they are often confused with cold sores, which are caused by the contagious herpes virus. It may help to remember that canker sores occur inside the mouth, while cold sores usually occur outside the mouth.
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Cold sores — also called fever blisters — are a common viral infection. They are tiny, fluid-filled blisters on and around your lips. These blisters are often grouped together in patches. After the blisters break, a scab forms that can last several days.
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But either type can spread to the face or genitals through close contact, such as kissing or oral sex. Shared eating utensils, razors and towels might also spread HSV -1. Cold sores are most contagious when you have oozing blisters because the virus easily spreads through contact with infected body fluids.
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Unlike canker sores, cold sores appear outside your mouth, often on the corner of your lip. Also called fever blisters, they are in fact little blisters that tend to break quickly, leak fluid, then eventually scab over. You might feel a little tingling in the day or two before a cold sore appears.
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Cold sores are called oral herpes because the virus is located in and around the mouth. They usually appear as a painful blister or group of blisters on the: Lips. Gums.
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According Dr. Craig Austin, a dermatologist in New York City, cold sores usually aren't a sexually transmitted disease (STD). They are caused by the herpes simplex virus.
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Causes and Symptoms of Fever Blisters and Cold Sores Now, before you get fixated on the word "herpes," you need to know that oral herpes (HSV-1) is not the same as genital herpes (HSV-2). While both are contagious, your cold sores and fever blisters will usually show themselves in or around the mouth.