Are whitlow on the fingers and blisters on the penis suggestive of herpes?

Question

Hello doctor,

Five years back, I had sex with a sex worker. I have whitlow on my fingers. Also, I have had blisters on my penis for a week. Does whitlow mean that I have herpes? I am worried about whether it will affect my married life. Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern and will surely help you out. I cannot say whether it is herpes without looking at the clinical picture of the blisters. However, let me give you some information about herpes viral infections. Herpes is a very contagious infection. Once infected, the virus stays in the nerves. When there are triggers like stress (physical or emotional), cold, trauma, any other illnesses, or surgeries, it causes reactivation of the virus and results in blisters. The virus stays in the body for life. I suggest you consult a nearby dermatologist and get the antibody titers checked. Depending on that, you may need antiviral suppression treatment with the tablets Valacyclovir if you are getting recurrent episodes. I hope this helps. Thank you.