Mommy Emotes

I occasionally hear the word herpes from jokes pulled by some acquaintances. Sometimes, I just offer a grin or a smile to the one who pulled the joke so that he or she might not be offended by my ignorance since I am not so sure what I understood is the same with the true nature of the word herpes. So, to better understand the joke, I opted to search what herpes means.

According to Wikipedia, “Herpes simplex is a viral disease caused by both herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Infection with the herpes virus is categorized into one of several distinct disorders based on the site of infection. Oral herpes, the visible symptoms of which are colloquially called cold sores or fever blisters, infects the face and mouth. Oral herpes is the most common form of infection. Genital herpes, known simply as herpes, is the second most common form of herpes. Other disorders such as herpetic whitlow, herpes gladiatorum, ocular herpes (keratitis), cerebral herpes infection encephalitis, Mollaret’s meningitis, neonatal herpes, and possibly Bell’s palsy are all caused by herpes simplex viruses.”

So after reading some herpes simplex information, now I know what their jokes were all about. They were referring to genital herpes!