What are the ways in which genital herpes virus is transmitted?

There are more than 50 types of herpes viruses discovered so far, of which type I can cause infections of the human lips, nasal mucosa, conjunctiva, throat and genitals; type II mainly causes genital inflammation and herpes. So what are the ways in which genital herpes virus is transmitted?

1. Transmission through direct contact: This is the main route of transmission. When having sexual intercourse with a patient with genital warts, the warts growing on the external genitalia are easily scratched because they are exogenous, protruding and brittle. The viruses in the warts and epidermal tissues then fall off and are inoculated onto the genitals of the sexual partner, causing infection with the human papillomavirus and the disease.

2. Mother-to-child transmission: Pregnant women with genital warts, especially those with no obvious clinical symptoms but viral infection in the cervix, will have viruses in their reproductive tract. During delivery, the fetus passes through the birth canal, leading to viral infection of the newborn and causing genital warts in infants and young children.

3. Indirect transmission: Some patients with genital warts are infected with human papillomavirus through indirect routes, the most common of which are daily necessities such as underwear, bath towels, bathtubs, etc. Therefore, people who go out or travel should pay great attention to this method.

4. Smoke transmission: Some studies have found that HPV exists in the smoke produced when using laser to treat genital warts, which suggests that smoke containing HPV may become a transmission route for HPV and cause genital warts.