Active herpes infection can be transmitted from a mother to her baby during birth. The herpesvirus can enter the baby's bloodstream and sometimes causes permanent brain damage. The sores usually start to heal after about 5 days and generally disappear in 1 to 3 weeks. Sometimes they may last as long as 6 weeks. Unfortunately, the long-term course of herpes cannot be predicted for any one person.
Symptoms are usually milder in recurring attacks.
There is no cure for herpes at this time. Although they may recur, herpes sores do heal by themselves. The following medicines are all forms of a prescription drug called acyclovir. If you start taking one of these medicines within 6 days after the sores appear, you can reduce the pain of the initial infection and speed up the healing process. Acyclovir may also be used for severe pain in recurrent infections.