Can You Have Herpes and Not Have Any Symptoms?

The short answer is yes, you can have contracted the herpes virus and not know it because you do not present any symptoms. The initial incubation period for the initial herpes infection is around 4 days with a range of anywhere from 2 to 12 days. During this incubation period you will not present symptoms yet have the virus already in your system. In fact most patients with HVS infections are asymptomatic for the majority of the time while others have very mild symptoms that are usually confused with other skin conditions. The herpes virus will manifest in recurrent outbreaks the lack of symptoms between outbreaks does not mean that the virus has left your body. Also of note is that the HSV-1 virus can typically causes genital outbreaks only once, then the person will never again present an outbreak but will still have the herpes infection.

Note: This article is not medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your specific condition.