Herpes - Causes, Symptoms, Health Insurance Coverage

​What Is Herpes?

Herpes is a disease caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus or HSV. This disease mainly causes infection of the external genitalia, mucosal surfaces, anal region, and other skin parts of the body. This infection is a long-term health condition. Some people might carry the virus, but they don't show any symptoms.

Symptoms

Some symptoms of Herpes are similar to the flu. Signs and symptoms of Herpes are mentioned below: 

Herpes can also be spread via eyes and can lead to a health condition like Herpes Keratitis. Symptoms of such an infection are eye pain, eye discharge, and a gritty feeling in the eye. It is advisable to consult with your doctor if you are facing any of the symptoms mentioned above. 

​Diagnosis

If you are facing any symptoms of Herpes, you should consult your doctor. Generally, the virus that causes Herpes is easily diagnosed with the physical examination. Your doctor may ask you about your medical history, check your body for sores and may ask you about some of your symptoms. For full assurance, your doctor may ask you to go through some of the important tests. 

HSV testing, which is also known as a herpes culture. This test will confirm whether you have sores on your genitals or not. In this test, a swab sample of fluid from the sore will be taken and sent to the laboratory for testing. 

Your doctor might also advise you to take blood tests for antibodies. This test will help diagnose an infection causing virus HSV-1 and HSV-. This test is recommended when there are no sores present.

Treatment

As of now, there is no cure available for this virus. However, your doctor will focus on limiting outbreaks and getting rid of sores. In some cases, sores vanish without any treatment. The medications mentioned below will be prescribed by your doctor in order to treat Herpes:

These medications will help patients in two ways, firstly it will reduce the transmission rate and secondly it will lower the intensity and frequency of outbreaks. These medications can either come in cream or in oral form. In the case of a severe outbreak, these medications can also be injected.

​Health Insurance

Suffering from health issues is not only physically taxing but can also drain you financially. Therefore, it is advised to buy health insurance policy which will provide financial coverage that can take care of medical expenses and hospitalization bills. It takes care of pre and post hospitalization bills. If you buy health insurance, you will not only get the cashless treatment from a network hospital where the bill is directly settled by your insurance provider with the hospital but will also enjoy tax benefits under section 80D of Income Tax Act, 1961. Make sure to know your policy details and covers before purchasing a health insurance policy.​