Can genital herpes infect other parts of the body?
In the past genital herpes was most often caused by HSV type 2 (HSV-2), but it is increasingly caused by HSV type 1 (HSV-1), the virus that causes common cold sores. 3-5 For unknown reasons, HSV-2 prefers to infect the genital regions. There are people with HSV-2 on their face, but this is very rare.6 HSV infection usually occurs on mucous membranes and thinner skin (anal, genital and perianal regions, and areas around the mouth and nose). Herpes symptoms may occur, however, anywhere a nerve fibre supplies sensation. It is not uncommon for genital HSV sores to appear on the buttocks or thighs because the buttock nerves and the genital nerves are close to one another. Does genital herpes cause cancer? Genital herpes is not known to cause cancer.1 Human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts, has been linked to cancer of the cervix (cervical cancer) in women, not herpes simplex virus (HSV). Is the herpes virus present and active in the urine and semen? The herpes virus
