There is currently no cure for the herpes simplex virus (HSV) or for herpes zoster, the virus that causes shingles in older adults. Both these diseases have afflicted humans for decades. However, physicians have a “toolkit” of serious medications in the fight against the stigmatizing outbreaks that can accompany especially genital herpes, or Type 2 herpes.
Challenges to Finding an HSV Cure
In order for there to come a cure, scientists must first be able to learn exactly what causes the virus to become ingrained within a person’s DNA and how the immune system affects its life-cycle. This is one of the most substantial stumbling blocks facing scientists today. When HSV is contracted, either via unsafe sex, contact with body fluids, including saliva, the virus binds itself to the person’s DNA. And because it is a neurologically-based affliction, it roots itself deep in the nerve bundles along the spine where it lies dormant until some factor suppresses the body’s immune system, allowing unchecked replication of the virus. The nerves at the spine send signals along their pathways that lead to the more typical areas of skin outbreak-- around or inside the mouth, or the genital and rectal area. Baffling to some scientists, still, is the fact that for some carriers, especially of Type 1 herpes, the virus can lie dormant for the rest of their lives. Why do some Type 2 patients suffer frequent and intense outbreaks, while others only experience mild and infrequent outbreaks? Luckily technological advancements in genome research have made it possible to map the HSV genome to get a more “3-D” picture of it, so to speak, where researchers can begin to crack the code into its persistent ties to human DNA.
Medications and Beyond
Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Many factors figure into how a person responds to the virus, whether they experience frequent or infrequent outbreaks and the severity. Based on that information and a patient’s medical condition and psychological state, a physician can design a drug therapy for the treatment of the outbreaks. Powerful antiviral drugs, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir are the workhorses of the prescription medications. A physician can also recommend counselors and support groups.
