Separating fear from evidence

Only people who "sleep around" get herpes.

HSV-1 is one of the most common infections on Earth — an estimated 64% of people under 50 carry it, most catching it in childhood from an ordinary kiss. It says nothing about anyone's character or behaviour.

If there's no cold sore, it can't spread.

HSV-1 can be passed on through "silent" (asymptomatic) shedding, when the virus is present without any visible sore. Risk is highest during an outbreak, but it's never exactly zero — which is a big reason the virus is so widespread.

Cold sores are just a cosmetic nuisance, so HSV-1 is harmless.

Usually it is mild — but "usually" isn't "always." Rarely, HSV-1 causes brain infection, sight-threatening eye disease, or severe illness in newborns and immunocompromised people. Common and occasionally serious are both true. See Serious Risks.

HSV-1 is the "mouth" one and HSV-2 is the "genital" one — they don't cross over.

The old split no longer holds. HSV-1 now causes a large share of genital herpes through oral contact, and either virus can infect either area. What matters is the site and severity, not the label.

There's a cure if you catch it early.

There is currently no cure and no vaccine. The virus stays dormant in the nerves for life. Antiviral medicines can shorten outbreaks and reduce how often they happen, but they don't remove the virus.

You can catch HSV-1 from a toilet seat or a swimming pool.

The virus is fragile outside the body. It spreads through saliva, sores and close skin contact — not from toilet seats, pools or hot tubs, and not through the air like a cold.

Having HSV-1 means something is wrong with your hygiene.

It has nothing to do with cleanliness. HSV-1 is a virus that establishes lifelong latency in the nerves; whether you carry it comes down to exposure, not hygiene.