What are fever blisters?
Fever blisters are painful little blisters that typically form on the lip, around the mouth or on the nose. Fever blisters are caused by an infection with the herpes simplex virus. This is a highly contagious disease that can easily be transmitted to other people. Especially in the first few days, a fever blister is very contagious. After seven to ten days the cold sore is usually cured and the danger of infection is over.
Fever blisters are so infectious
Fever blisters are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which is extremely contagious. The transmission of the virus is caused by a smear infection. Especially through direct contact (e.g. kissing) and the shared use of lip care products or glasses, the infection is easily transmitted.
Although fever blisters are harmless for most people, they are still quite painful and annoying. However, for newborn babies, herpes simplex viruses can be very dangerous and painful. Therefore, people affected should be aware of the very high risk of infection and keep the risk of transmitting the infection to other people as low as possible.
By touching the fever blister, the viruses reach the hands and can easily be transferred to other objects and people. For this reason, those affected should avoid touching the fever blister or washing their hands thoroughly afterwards. It is best if patients stick a herpes patch over their fever blister and use an antiviral cream.
What is contagious about fever blisters?
In the case of cold sores, a small blister is formed that is filled with a liquid. The contents of the blister and also the fresh crusts contain living herpes simplex viruses and are therefore extremely infectious, whereby the highest risk of infection is posed by the freshly burst blisters. Infection with the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) usually occurs at a young age and the population is very highly infected.
However, the virus can only break out if the immune system is weakened by stress or a cold. In such cases, a fever blister forms, which contains a large number of viruses. The risk of infection is therefore particularly high during an acute outbreak of cold sore.
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