How Can I Keep From Spreading Herpes?

I found out 2 months ago that I have genital herpes.  My concern is that I’ve never had an outbreak. How do I keep from spreading this to my 6 year old son if I don’t realize that I’m shedding via a towel or through my sheets? Sometimes he sleeps in the bed with me.  Can he get it?

Genital herpes is spread through direct skin to skin contact.  In other words, an infecteda rea of the body needs to come in contact with the mucous membrane (mouth or genitals) of an infected person.  That’s why it’s fairly easy to spread the oral herpes virus (through kissing), but it requires much more intimate contact to spread genital herpes.  The virus is fragile and can’t live on sheets, clothing, towels or toilets. 

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