Herpes, in addition to being painful and inconvenient for its sufferers, is highly contagious. Herpes affects mucous membranes, like the genitals, the mouth and even the eyes. Herpes is transmitted, for example, when the mucous membranes of an infected person come into contact with those of an unaffected person when sores are present. This means that through sex, kissing and childbirth, herpes can be transmitted from one person to another.
History
In the 1980s, doctors began to prescribe antiviral medications to herpes sufferers in order to prevent outbreaks. It wasn't until after 2000 that drug companies developed and began to market drugs like Valaciclovir, Famciclovir and Aciclovir specifically for preventing the growth of herpes sores.
Types
There are two types of suppressive drug treatments for herpes, systemic and topical. Topical treatments come in a cream or gel form and are applied to the skin of the area that may be affected. Systemic treatments are pills or tablets that are swallowed and absorbed in the digestive tract.
Features
Valaciclovir was one of the first antiviral medications on the market for treating herpes simplex. Famiclovir is one of the more popular suppressive treatments for herpes, and Aciclovir, which is extremely low in cytotoxicity, is available in a cream. The others are in pill form. Aciclovir is also marketed under the names Cyclovir, Herpex, Acivir, Zovirax and Zovir.
Considerations
Depression and substance abuse are commonly recognized contraindications for antiviral treatments. Additionally, for geriatric usage, Zovirax has only been tested in immunocompetent adults.
Significance
The herpes simplex virus can theoretically be eradicated if enough people are using suppressive treatments. Since the disease spreads through contact with open sores, preventing open sores is one way to prevent the spread of the virus.
Misconceptions
Many people call oral herpes outbreaks "cold sores." Since a herpes outbreak can be triggered by other ailments, people used to associate the common cold with herpes, calling them cold sores. The fact is, the common cold does not cause cold sores; a cold sore is an outbreak of herpes, and kissing others while infected can make the disease spread.
Tags: cold sores, antiviral medications, common cold, contact with, herpes simplex, mucous membranes