I live in a non-sexual relationship with someone who has herpes. Am I at risk of catching herpes from the swimming pool – hot tub – toilet seat – shared towel – etc?
A. This chance of contracting a herpes infection when living in a non-sexual relationship with a person with genital herpes (or oral herpes for that matter) is vanishingly small. The herpes virus has to actually enter the body of another person through a broken area of the skin. The virus will not enter through intact skin. So, touching the blister fluid from a herpes infection with the tip of a finger would not transmit the infection directly to the finger, for example. On the other hand, if the finger that had touched the blister fluid was then used to scratch an itch on the eyelid before being washed with soap and water, for example, the infection could, in fact, be transmitted to the eyelid, and possibly into the eye, if the person scratched hard enough to create a tiny, microscopic tear in the skin.
