Why is this an "STD"?

[quietpendulum]

Call me dumb here but I've been trying to figure this thing out. Why is HSV an STD when it's not passed through vaginal fluids or semen? Correct me if I'm wrong but it's only transmittied through skin-to-skin contact. I know of someone who has it on his arm. I've seen pictures of people on the internet having it on the oddest places all over and I don't know about you but I can only have SEX with one part of my body (some would argue 2-3). Anyway, it just baffles me as to why this is labelled as an STD when the transmission of it may not even include sex. I most likely contracted this through "4 play" but not actual sex (the jury is still out on if I've just had it and it's been dormant or if it's newly contracted). Anyway, maybe if we got away from labelling it as an STD (which it doesn't really seem to be 100%) then the image wouldn't be so negative. I've heard someone refer to it as a skin disease (which I secretly agree with because afterall, what else is truly affected besides the skin of the area that is OB'ing??) and someone else jumped down their throat about that but if it's only passed through skin-to-skin contact and not necessarily SEX (there's a lot of contacting that you can do aside from sex and get this right?), then why is this an "STD"? It seems like labelling it as that is taking it to the extreme but I know that it's quite possible to contract it MINUS actual sex.

Clarification please.

[gutted.]

i suppose the same can be said for HIV / AIDS - as thats not always passed on thru sex but it can be.

im guessing people have associated Herpes with sex since ancient times and therefore its been casted as a sexual virus.

i do agree with you tho.

[lintrus]

I think the rule is: if it can be passed through having sex with someone, then it is a "sexually" transmitted disease. One could also say the same thing about the flu or the cold I suppose, but it probably also has to do with the fact that it prefers particular parts of the body, i.e. the genitals. ...But then HIV isn't body-part-specific, so I'm not sure. Maybe its that during sex you're more vulnerable to certain diseases than you would be otherwise.

It is an interesting question. In casual conversation, no one calls chickenpox or shingles STDs or even "herpes" for that matter, but they all belong to the same family of viruses and act the same way. Also, coldsores are perceived as harmless until you start calling them HSV-1 or "oral herpes." I'm not going to say that "STD" is an unfounded term, but there is most definitely something at play that has to do with sex as a shameful act and the diseases that may result from it as marks of that shameful act---almost as if we got caught doing it.

[kthmsix3]

the cure for herpes

ive been thinking .. really thinking about this for a few weeks now. and here it is plain and simple - the cure for herpes - is knowledge. knowledge that few in todays society actually have, they dont understand but they dont KNOW. it IS just a skin disorder, nothing more. it cant kill you, and its really just bothersome. but with diet and staying fit youll barely have the outbreaks. i think that one day the word will get out but as long as im alive any time someone has something false to say about herpes i will ALWAYS chime in and try and educate them as well as all of us who suffer or know ones who suffer SHOULD do. just let them know. everything. someone says a smerky comment about "oh wow we might all get herpes and die!" (which has actually happened to me at a party) you simply and politely say "excuse me but no one has ever died of hsv, please dont make that stament again" and if they try and argue or ask what your talking about. tell them all about it

like i said

the cure for herpes is knowledge

because really the only thing wrong with it now

is the fact that so few people understand it

<3