Herpes is a virus that can hide in your body for a long time without being detected. The following are 5 variations of the herpes virus.

1.  Chicken Pox – Viral infection that causes a rash on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes.

2.  Mono (mononucleosis) – An infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of the throat, swollen glands in the neck, feeling tired and not feeling hungry.

3.  CMV (Cytomegalovirus) – This virus can have different symptoms depending on the part of the body that it affects. The signs of CMV retinitis are vision problems indicating an inflammation of the retina of the eye.  The main symptom of CMV colitis is diarrhea.  CMV esophagitis can make swallowing painful and difficult.  CMV myelitis can cause numbness at the base of the spine, which can spread to the legs and cause difficulty walking. CMV encephalitis causes symptoms similar to other brain infections such as personality changes, difficulty concentrating and headaches.  CMV pneumonia can cause shortness of breath and dry cough.

4.  Herpes Simplex 1 – This is the type of herpes virus that causes cold sores.

5.  Herpes Simplex 2 (HSV-2) – This is the type of herpes virus that causes genital herpes. 

HSV-2 can enter the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth, rectum, penis, or vagina. In the HVS-2 virus as well as the four other types of herpes, the virus never leaves the body once it has entered it.  However, the blisters will leave and come back periodically, and HVS-2 is only contagious when blisters are present and a few days before and after they appear.  Symptoms usually start 2-20 days after coming into contact with the virus.  Generally, the first outbreak of the virus is more painful than the ones that come after it.