I was wasting time on TikTok, and I saw this video making awareness and trying to end stigma against herpes, and I got the idea from it that oral herpes was of the exact same type as the genital herpes (ie the STD one). This made me very spooked but interested, so as usual I hit Wikipedia, and I find that there are two Simplex viruses. Quoting straight from Wikipedia:
HSV-1 more commonly causes infections around the mouth while HSV-2 more commonly causes genital infections
So what does this imply? Are they just different variants that to the layperson (me) are the same thing? Or does it just mean that although HSV-1 is more common on the mouth, it can infect elbows or genitalia, but it's not sexually transmitted?
Also if I have an oral infection, can I give someone a genital infection? If a kid has herpes in their mouth, is it feasible to say they have an STD? I previously had herpes on my lips (or maybe they were just acne or very small cuts on them). Does that mean I may still have oral herpes?
If it transmits by fluids, does exchanging saliva count? What about sweat? Does the contact have to be where there is mucus or other fluids, or does it only require contact with the skin?
What conditions exist that laypersons call herpes, other than the simplex virus one?