Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), commonly called as Herpes, is a Sexually Transmitted Disease in which a person develops blisters around genitals. Can one catch the infection by using the same toilet seat or towel as someone with herpes? This is the most commonly asked question. Fortunately these are myths. Toilet seats and Herpes have nothing in common except this myth. This article discusses this issue in detail.

Whoever said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous Thing” was indeed a wise man. Incomplete information often misleads people resulting in even more ignorance of the facts. So, is the case with Sexually Transmitted Diseases? Being a sensitive issue, most people choose not to discuss it with their doctors even if they are infected. Parents always have problems discussing such issues with their children and this often leads to misinformation gathered from different, unreliable sources. People who want to deny the causes of contracting the virus may spread misleading information. Truth is that it is nearly impossible to get infected by contact with a toilet seat or towel. Usually it is caused by exchanging bodily fluids or any type of sexual activity with a person who is already infected by the virus. If the person has active lesions then your chances of catching the virus increase. An inactive virus can also infect you but it definitely needs its carrier and can not be transferred from one person to another through toilet seats etc. So, from now onwards you don’t need to fear that use of public toilet seats and Herpes will transmit infection.


