Health Questions and Answers

Jul 8 2002 By The Evening Chronicle

Q: I'm middle-aged and have been told by a sexual health clinic that I have herpes of the penis. My girlfriend, who's also middle-aged, has never had any symptoms, so does she need to be treated? Without treatment might she continue be infectious?

A: Even if your girlfriend is your only sexual partner at the moment, it doesn't necessarily mean she gave you herpes. The virus is very widespread, mostly caused by mouth to mouth contact. About seven in 10 of us have already caught it by the time we are 25, but only a minority have infectious symptoms such as a coldsores or genital herpes. If your girlfriend hasn't had any sores or itchy patches, she can't have given you the virus. The chances are you've had the virus for many years, caught through sex with an infectious person, but it has only recently started to show symptoms. The only effective treatment is using anti-viral cream as soon as you feel the tingling that precedes a sore. But if a sore does develop, your partner must avoid any direct contact with you, otherwise she'll risk becoming infected, and perhaps infectious herself. For peace of mind, it would be worth her visiting the sexual health clinic too for a check-up.