Hot Tub Herpes

Dear Miss Lu,

So, New Year’s Eve I was at this party. We all got pretty wasted and ended up in the hot tub. I found out later one of the girls has herpes. Should I get tested? I mean we were all pretty naked and I’m worried.

L****A**

Dear LA,

The answer to this is an absolute yes. It is more complicated than that though. Unless your naked bits were up against her naked bits the risk of you getting herpes is pretty freeaking small. Herpes (HSV2) or Herpes simplex virus type 2 (the most common type of genital herpes) is primarily passed through skin-to-skin contact. Also, the chlorine in most hot tubs is can often act as a second layer of protection. You don’t have to worry about the virus floating through the water to you. That being said, in a slippery hot tub full of intoxicated nude people you can’t be sure you didn’t make contact. Plus, 1 in 5 adults has herpes. A lot of the time the infected individual it’s not even aware of it. So, even if you are sure you did not make contact with the 1 person who told you about their condition, you could still be at risk.

The real reason I said yes is that what you described is known as a “high-risk” behavior. And when we see one high risk behavior, there are often many more. You can still have fun, but making decisions while intoxicated usually leads to sloppy decisions. Get tested now. Continue to get tested at regular intervals (every 6 months is best). And study up on this stuff before you climb naked into a hot tub with friends. Play Smart, Play Safe!


Love Always,

Miss Lu