For example, if you have a cold sore and kiss someone, the virus can infect your partner's mouth. Herpes can also be spread sexually when there are no visible signs or symptoms. First episodes of the disease tend to be more severe than recurrences. A low percentage of patients experience symptoms so severe that they must be hospitalized.
Women often have more severe first episodes than men.
Subsequent recurrences of infection vary from person to person. Some people who have HSV infection never experience symptoms. About one in four adults in the U.S. has latent genital herpes. However, less than a third have been diagnosed. The first symptoms appear within 2 to 12 days after infection.