To avoid spreading the virus, an individual with herpes should steer clear of having sex during an outbreak or when other signs and symptoms are occurring. However, a person with HSV-2 can infect others even when no signs of an outbreak are visible because the infection can still be active on the skin.
Called "asymptomatic shedding," herpes can "shed" from the mouth, penis or vagina onto another person during skin-to-skin contact. It is estimated that roughly 70 percent of genital herpes cases are transmitted during this time--a time when there are no visible signs of a herpes outbreak.
