Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear between 2-20 days after contact with an infectious person. The symptoms are clusters of painful blisters on the genitals. After a few days they burst, leaving small ulcers.

In men, the blisters usually appear on the penis, but can also be in the urethra.

In women the blisters usually appear on the labia and can appear in the cervix.

First outbreaks can be accompanied by fever, headache, and muscle soreness. Other symptoms are painful urination discharge from the vagina or the urethra.

The symptoms usually disappear within a couple of weeks. And the person may never have another occurrence or the virus can lay dormant in the person's body. Some people may have the virus and never experience the symptoms, but can transmit it to other people.