Since this is a viral infection, it is spread from person to person through close contact. You can get herpes simplex from touching a herpes sore or through sexual contact. Having said that, some people get the infection from an infected person who does not have sores. Doctors call this “asymptomatic viral shedding.
Once you become infected with a herpes virus, it will never leave your body. After the first outbreak, the virus moves from the skin cells to nerve cells, where the virus stays forever. From that point, the virus will cycle through stages of being dormant and active. Triggers that cause the virus to flare up include illness, fever, stress, menstrual periods, surgery, and sun exposure.
