Hi, and thanks for your question

As you’ve indicated, there are two types of herpes virus – HSV-1 and HSV-2. The lesions, or blisters, commonly appear either on the mouth as cold sores, or on the genitals. Herpes is a very common virus which is very easily passed through skin to skin contact. So not only can it be passed through sexual contact, but it can be passed through more casual skin to skin contact like kissing. For this reason some people are exposed to the virus at quite a young age, and the longer the virus has been present, the less frequently people notice outbreaks. In fact, some people never experience an outbreak of sores at all even though they carry the virus.

As such, it is unlikely that if you repeat the test that it will be negative. In fact, we often discourage people from testing for herpes using the blood test since it provides very little clinical information and often causes quite a lot of anxiety about a virus that is generally considered to be pretty harmless.

You might find our Herpes: Patient’s Guide helpful for more information.

Let us know if this does not answer your question or if you have any more questions or concerns.
Health Nurse