u/Bright_Fail_9729

My partner (M) had a cold sore for the very first time a few months back. I’ve (F) never had one before, and neither has my immediate and extended family.

Im a bit worried about two things:

1. My own risk of getting HSV-1
2. If I do get it, would I always be at risk of passing it to my parents (late 60s) or future children because of asymptomatic shedding? Or is it generally considered safe to kiss family on the cheek if there are no symptoms?

Most information online is very general, so would appreciate any lived experiences and perspectives. e.g how do people manage long term relationships?, is the risk mostly just during active outbreaks, or is asymptomatic shedding is something you’re actively worried about?

P.s: I know that cold sores very common in the West, and WHO estimates that about 70% of adults will have been exposed to the virus. But those numbers are global estimates where South east Asia in general is usually not included due to poor data availability (or if south east Asia is included, data from my country isn’t available). https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy562; https://sti.bmj.com/content/sextrans/early/2024/11/12/sextrans-2024-056307.full.pdf; https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.237149

My partner (M) had a cold sore for the very first time a few months back. I’ve (F) never had one before, and neither has my immediate and extended family.

Im a bit worried about two things:

1. My own risk of getting HSV-1
2. If I do get it, would I always be at risk of passing it to my parents (late 60s) or future children because of asymptomatic shedding? Or is it generally considered safe to kiss family on the cheek if there are no symptoms?

Most information online is very general, so would appreciate any lived experiences and perspectives. e.g how do people manage long term relationships?, is the risk mostly just during active outbreaks, or is asymptomatic shedding is something you’re actively worried about?

P.s: I know that cold sores very common in the West, and WHO estimates that about 70% of adults will have been exposed to the virus. But those numbers are global estimates where South east Asia in general is usually not included due to poor data availability. Hence, I’m worried about cultural perceptions towards cold sores and hsv in general

My partner (M) had a cold sore for the very first time a few months back. I’ve (F) never had one before, and neither has my immediate and extended family.

Im a bit worried about two things:

1. My own risk of getting HSV-1
2. If I do get it, would I always be at risk of passing it to my parents (late 60s) or future children because of asymptomatic shedding? Or is it generally considered safe to kiss family on the cheek if there are no symptoms?

Most information online is very general, so would appreciate any lived experiences and perspectives. e.g how do people manage long term relationships?, is the risk mostly just during active outbreaks, or is asymptomatic shedding is something you’re actively worried about?

P.s: I know that cold sores very common in the West, and WHO estimates that about 70% of adults will have been exposed to the virus. But those numbers are global estimates where Malaysia is often not included. Well, South east Asia in general is usually not included due to poor data availability.