Infection in the newborn infant can lead to herpetic meningitis , herpetic viremia, chronic skin infection and even death. Prevention is difficult since the virus can be spread to others even when the infected person has no evidence of a current outbreak. However, avoiding direct contact with an open lesion will lower the risk of infection. People with genital herpes should avoid sexual contact when active lesions are present. People with known genital herpes but without current clinical symptoms should inform their partner that they have the disease.
Condoms remain the best protection against acquiring genital herpes.
Correct and consistent use of a condom will help prevent the transmission of the disease. Pregnant women with the herpes simplex infection should receive weekly viral cultures of the cervix and external genitalia as the delivery date approaches. Pain, tingling, or itching in the genital area is usually the first symptoms of this disorder. This first stage of the illness begins two to seven days after exposure to the virus. During the next stage, sores appear.