Why Herpes Blood Testing?

What's your first reaction when you hear the word herpes? Most of us grimace and recoil at the sound of it, even though many of us have dealt with it in our personal lives. The name herpes can conjure thoughts of visits to STD infested massage parlors or Caligula style orgies, but that's not a very accurate perception of a viral infection that is such a common occurrence in our society.
There are seven different forms of the herpes virus but when discussing herpes as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) we focus on type 1 and type 2. The other five types of herpes cause other illnesses such as the chicken pox or mononucleosis.
Interestingly, many people do not think of herpes 1 as herpes or as an STD. If I mention testing for type 1 herpes they'll say, "You mean cold sores? My Grandma used to get those, I'm not worried about that", or "yeah, my mom and my brother get them, but I don't have it".
The fact is herpes is transmitted through skin to skin contact, at the site of the infection, when the virus is at the surface of the skin, and it is very readily transmittable. It's estimated that over 70 percent of the adult population has type 1 herpes. Most infections are contracted before the age of five by being kissed by a parent or relative.