Info About Cold Sore Attacks You Must Know

Are you searching for fresh and accurate info about cold sore events? Maybe you are seeking information for your cold sore, or that of a family member. Whatever the reason you are reading this, the more cold sores information you have, the less threatening they will be.

In this article, I will give you great info about cold sore attacks that you can use. You will discover, in a minute, practical and fresh info about cold sores that you will not find anywhere else.

Cold sores are not new. Yes, they certainly are an epidemic of global proportions today. But, according to history, cold sore outbreaks were epidemic even 2000 years ago. Over 59% of the world population today will get a cold sore in the next 24 months. Most will have multiple cold sores during that time.

How many do you get per year? The average is three to four outbreaks per 12-month period.

The root cause of a cold sore outbreak is an active herpes simplex virus. There are two types of this virus that are known to cause cold sores. Herpes simplex type 1 causes 79% of the facial sores. Type 2 herpes is the cause of the other 21%. A sore created by either type of herpes is identical in look, feel, and duration time. There is six other herpes simplex viruses that cause diseases such as mono, chicken pox, and shingles.

No info about cold sore events should be presented without mention of how easy it is for spreading cold sore virus. Simply put, cold sores are EXTREMELY AND DANGEROUSLY CONTAGIOUS. Your cold sore virus, when active, can be spread to others by touch, or by commonly used objects, such as faucets. You can also easily spread it to other areas of your own body. The most feared is infecting your eye. Such an event can cause permanent loss of vision. Usual cause of spreading cold sore virus to the eyes is contaminated fingers.

The herpes simplex virus is sub-microscopic. Tiny indeed. Similar size viruses are head cold and flu viruses. When you have a head cold or flu, your mouth and nasal fluids contain these viruses. Same is true with active cold sores. When you sneeze or cough, these viruses can become airborne in droplets of moisture and infect people near you.

Fortunately, cold sores will generally stay in the same area as the initial infection site. They have not, as yet, been known to spread internally. A close cousin, chicken pox, does spread internally and creates sores all over the body. Fortunately, one bout with chicken pox is all you will likely have in a lifetime.

This is not so with cold sores.

Your cold sore attacks can reoccur many times over your lifetime. With each cold sore event, your body creates additional anti-bodies to protect you. However, the cold sore virus is extremely good at hiding and survival. Because of this, the herpes simplex virus will likely be with you for life.

Only recently have scientists discovered why.

The herpes simplex virus will hide in your nerve cells in the nerve ganglia near your ear - for facial cold sores. Not only does this virus hide in the nerve cell, it actually takes control of it. Each of your cells is programmed to die and be reborn. The cold sore virus interferes with this process and will not let the cell die. In addition, the virus will hibernate in such a way that it gives off little or no signs of life that could be tracked by our body defenses. Over the centuries, it truly has adapted for survival.

The open, weeping cold sore occurs when the herpes virus replicates. The virus senses when your immunity is down or distracted. It then becomes active and quickly moves to the surface through the nerve fibers. Once at the surface, each virus enters a nerve cell. It then forces the cell to create clones of itself. When the cell is full, the original virus kills the cell to release the new viruses. These new viruses are complete and full size, identical to the original virus.

You have now learned that the root cause of cold sores is the replication process of the herpes simplex virus. You have also discovered that this virus is a master at hiding. It hides undetected from our own body defenses and all the medications invented so far. And finally, you now know that cold sore virus is not just an inconvenience but is dangerously contagious. The ease of spreading cold sore virus is why it is an epidemic today.

I hope this helps in your search for info about cold sore.