Can I get Herpes from a Toilet Seat
Can you get herpes from a toilet seat? You know, I've been thinking lately about if I did "out" myself in my community, would the ignorance and stigma around herpes cause people in my community to fear using the toilet after me? I am guessing before I jump off the cliff and just out myself, that I need to be prepared for any questions and or rumors which might surface in light of my outing. I think it's utterly ridiculous for people to fear herpes. What they fear, like anything else is something which is "unknown" to them. In my ever so humble opinion, that's what they fear is their ignorance of it.
Herpes is a huge topic in the world of health, sex and love. I would love to find those folks who are looking for are looking for the drug and disease free companions. I challenge them to get tested too before they judge me or anyone else. I realize of course, that your average person isn't real ready to just say "sign me up". I want to have herpes too, unless they're simply a glutton for punishment and I'm simply using that as a figure of speech. For me, life goes on. It's simply an inconvenience and I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and getting herpes was my wake up call.
Anyway, bottom line is, NO you can not get herpes from a toilet seat. You get herpes through skin to skin contact. Now crabs on the other hand, yes. Those little buggers like to jump from toilet seats, but they are easy to get rid of, so they're just an annoyance. Crabs like to jump up vs. jump down and drown in the toilet, but hey, wouldn't you too ;-)
Reliable Sources:
Mayo Clinic
National Institute of Health
Myths and Misperceptions about Herpes by Famvir
Labels: Herpes Ignorance
posted by Luanne @ 1:48 PM
15 Comments:
it's almost impossible to get it from a toilet seat. the virus thrives and lives on moist human tissue. without this environment it has a life expectantcy of about 10-15 seconds...it's not a very strong little critter outside of its habitat.
so, to acquire this from a seat someone with the virus would have to have made contact with the seat in an area of viral shedding, and within less than 1/2 a minute they would have to immediately vacate the seat and someone else sit down and come in direct contact with that same area on the seat.
so, anyone who uses the line "i got it from a toilet seat"...well, try not to make them feel too stupid as you laugh in their face. LOL
as a matter of credability, i'm a medical professional who deals with STD's and affected patients.
ACTUALLY, i just read here: http://www.ashastd.org/kaystone.cfm today that you can't even get CRABS from a toilet seat.
The doctor says "what about crabs? Theoretically, they could crawl onto you from a toilet seat. But that's not likely since a crab moves slower than a sloth and can't jump. On a good day a crab could crawl 10 mm (less than the width of your thumbnail). Also, crabs are like vampires - they don't survive very long without a human blood meal and they really hate light...hmm... maybe hovering over the seat is a good idea after all!"
So, all in all, I guess it's POSSIBLE but not probable. Thank goodness.
Thank you. I tend to trust what ASHA says too. Thanks for the link. Nice thing about crabs though is you can get rid of them lil buggers. Thank goodness. :-)
Luanne
I can tell you for a matter of FACT, I am NOT sexually active. I have not been in many years. However, I recently contract the herpes virus. I work for a Dermatologist. He examined me. He said you CAN, in fact, get herpes from a toilet if you sit down within approximately 3 minutes (while the surface is still moist) after someone who sat down before you and had an active lesion. Much to my dismay, it happened to me.
In addition to my previous post, I DID sit down on the toilet seat immediately after someone else. I was in a club. The line to use the facility was out the door. Someone comes out....you go in, within seconds, and sit down right after them. The Derm I work for said to carry some form of sani-wipes in your purse and ALWAYS die the area before sitting down.
I meant "dry" the area before sitting down.
to the poster from March 1st....
But who's to say that you haven't been living with herpes and just never had an outbreak. That happens to many people. Had you experienced any major stressful times in the past month or so? Stress is a huge factor in bringing the herpes virus to the surface.
Not to undermine your dermatolgist, but isn't it possible that maybe, just maybe, he isn't as well versed and knowledgeable about herpes as he may lead you to believe? I mean, we are human. I'd be more inclined to believe that you have been a carrier for longer than you even knew. There is a test which can be taken to determine how long you've been living with the virus. I still don't believe you can catch it from a toilet seat. You don't rub your vagina up on the toilet seat, it's not like you leave the virus lying on the seat. I just find that very hard to believe. I mean, anything is possible, but I find this to not be very probable. Mind you, I'm not a doctor either, so yes, I could be wrong, but seriously, before you start assuming you picked the virus up from a toilet seat, please go and get checked out as to how long you've had the infection. You might be surprised and I would sure be curious to hear your response.
I think it is much more likely that these people who think they got H from a toilet seat(???)....
Got it because they had it for years and never had a break-out....or, it was passed on through a kiss...which can travel down and set up shop in your spine, letting sores show up elsewhere?
The guy who I got it from NEVER (or so he says) showed symptoms of having it...yet he gave it to me. It was just laying there in him waiting to attack. It is possible for it to sit in your body for a long, long time before you show any symptoms.
Also, you don't have to have intercourse....it is enough skin on skin contact to have your thigh areas touch to catch it. And of course there is oral, which will transmit it as well.
I find it very hard to believe that it could be caught from a toilet seat.
i recent got herpes from some idiot.. and it feels like my life is ruined, i will never be able to be sexually active, freely. i have cried a lot and i feel like my days are wasted.
My daughter also has herpes and as a mother I am pissed.
Why are you pissed Mom? It's not a death sentence. It's a virus and it happens. She's the one who should be pissed. I'm hoping that you've since become supportive of your daughter.
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Ask Frank Zappa.
I presently have a herpes sore on my inner mid thigh. At first I thought it was a spider bite. My girlfriend took one look at it and asked if I had sat on a public toilet seat recently. I had a couple of days ago. She said it looked like a herpes sore that she had a few years ago in the same place after sitting on a public toilet seat. Hers was examined by a doctor. Mine has not been.
The funny thing is when it first appeared I thought it felt remarkably similar to Herpes, and I would know as I have had the virus for 20 years after catching it as a 17 year old. I suffered many breakouts in the early days, quite often weekly. I have never had it on my leg and never even realised that you could have a sore on your thigh. It just seems like to much of a concidence that a couple of days ago I sat on 2 public toilet seats on the same day. Anyway I will definitely be taking wipes out with me when using public toilets.!
to anon from Tuesday, February 07, 2012 5:52:00 AM
I wouldn't totally assume it was herpes because herpes doesn't live very long away from the body. It truly could be something else. Did you ever have it checked out to be sure?
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