Oral sores, blisters symptom of herpes, not malaria –Microbiologist
A Professor of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, says herpes, not malaria causes oral blisters in people who experience it even when they are having from malaria.
Professor Terver stated that herpes blisters can occur in other parts of the body like the mouth and not just on the genitals.
According to an article published by Mayo Clinic, an online medical site “Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus.”
Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, Terver said, “What we normally call blister fever is caused by the herpes virus and what happens is when someone develops a fever or any form of infection and the immune system is affected or lowered during that period of infection or disease, the herpes virus which is already in the body in a dormant form now reactivates and multiplies and cause blisters around the mouth.
“Malaria can lower the immunity of the body then the virus will multiply and cause blisters.
“The blisters are not caused by the malaria fever. They are caused by the virus that was in the body before the person got infected with malaria disease.
“But when somebody is normal and is not in any form of sickness, it is there in the body but it doesn’t cause any harm until there’s a severe fever then it can get an opportunity to multiply and cause blisters.”
He stated that though herpes is commonly transmitted during penetrative sex, it can also be transmitted through kissing.
“It can equally be transmitted through non-sexual forms such as blood transfusion, use of contaminated medical equipment. Also, if someone with rashes touches another with broken skin, it can also lead to transmission of the virus,” the professor added.
Terver noted that the herpes virus which manifests when the immune system goes down does not have any cure.
He stated that people can live with herpes their entire life without any problem provided the person doesn’t come down with any form of sickness that will lower their immunity.
