Cold Sores, Explained in Just 2 Minutes
In this video, learn what cold sores are and how the herpes simplex virus spreads.
Around half of the population carries the herpes simplex virus — the virus that causes cold sores — according to the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention.
That might sound high, but many people who are infected by the virus don’t actually have symptoms on a regular basis. If you do have the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), there’s a good chance you haven’t had symptoms since you were in elementary school. (It’s not the same as genital herpes, which is dubbed HSV-2.)
References
American Academy of Dermatology. (n.d.). Cold sores: Diagnosis and treatment.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in persons aged 14-49: United States, 2015-2016.
Johnston, C., et al. (2023). Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of herpes simplex virus type 1 infection. UpToDate.
MedlinePlus. (2016). Cold sores.
MedlinePlus. (2016). Herpes simplex.
National Institutes of Health. (2018). Herpes can happen to anyone.