Is herpes simplex/cold sore on the thigh considered a sexually transmitted disease?

Question

When I was a kid I got a cold sore / herpes simplex (1, I think) on the thigh. As far as I know, I haven't had any cold sores on the actual genital area, and it's been a while. I wonder if this is considered a genital herpes infection (on account of it being physically close) and thus an STI, or is it just exactly like a cold sore in the mouth? I wonder if I should be worried and take additional care.

I guess that sounds like a diagnosis question, but I'm genuinely curious how it is classified and the involved risks. Thanks!

Answer 1

It is not possible to tell what actions led to the thigh infection, because there are multiple possible actions that could.

Explanation: Close bodily contact of any kind can transmit herpes. That is, the virus jumps from an infected person to another person by close bodily contact (i.e. rubbing of some type).

If someone was engaged in a sexual act with you and rubbed an infected part of their skin on your thigh, then, yes, your infection would be considered a sexually transmitted infection.

If your lesion is reasonably far from the genital area, however, it's more likely to be an instance of herpes gladiotorum, which is a sports disease, not a sexual disease. Wrestlers, rugby players (in a scrum), and so on, engage in very close physical contact, and this can lead to spread of herpes from one person to another through a non-sexual route.

As a child, you may not have been playing rugby, but you might have been wrestling with an infected friend, or the friend may have bit you on the thigh, or who knows what. Where your friend got infected, or how, is of lesser importance.

If it has not come back since the original appearance, I would not worry about it. Could you as a child really tell a herpes vesicle from a bug bite? Could you as an adult?