What is herpes? Herpes is a virus causing sores most commonly around the mouth (oral herpes) and genitals (genital herpes)
There are eight currently identified members of the human herpes virus family. They are ubiquitous and extremely well adapted pathogens. The name comes from the Greek 'herpein' - 'to creep', describing the chronic, latent or recurrent nature of infections. There are 8 types of viruses organized into 3 different families as follows: Alpha Herpes Viruses Herpes simplex type I (HSV-1) Herpes simplex type II (HSV-2) Varicella-zoster virus (VZV/HHV-3) Beta Herpes Viruses Cytomegalovirus (CMV/HHV-5) Herpesvirus type 6 (HBLV/HHV-6) Herpesvirus type 7 (HHV-7) Gamma Herpes Viruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV/HHV-4) Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8)