Q. A friend of mine just announced that she has genital herpes. She has had it for quite a few years and has never told her husband.
She claims she contracted herpes from a low immune system due to chronic arthritis. I always thought this disease could only be caught through a sexual encounter. Can you bring me up to snuff on the causes of ‘genital herpes’?
A. You are correct that genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease. Your friend is mistaken either about her diagnosis or about the way she acquired it. We are surprised that she has not informed her husband, since he is at risk for catching the disease whenever they make love.
