Put on your Hazmat suit and prepare to be in solitary confinement for 7-10 days. Okay, maybe that is a little overkill for not catching or infecting anyone with the Herpes Simplex 1 virus.
The fact is, lip sores are extremely contagious. They are most contagious when the blisters are opened and not scabbed yet. The pus is the cold sore virus and when you have open mouth blisters this virus is available to contaminate the world.
You want to be sure to keep your hands very clean and be sure not to touch at your mouth. This can be difficult since you are probably self-conscious of your lip sore and it is easy to touch at the area subconsciously, please try not to do this.
Wash your hands and carry sanitizer with you while you are suffering with a cold sore outbreak. Clean hands will prevent you from spreading the virus to others and it will also protect you from reinfecting yourself.
Be very careful not to touch, scratch or rub at your eyes after touching your lip sore. Having the Herpes Simplex 1 virus in your eye is dangerous and can cause blindness.
You can transmit the cold sore virus by kissing and by oral sex! Don’t share chap stick, towels, beverage glasses, or eating utensils-unless you are trying to pay back someone for giving you a cold sore.
It is especially important to stay away from the elderly, infants and ill people when you have contagious lip sores. These people are especially susceptible to the virus and could end up getting very ill if they are exposed and contract a lip sore. With a low immune system their bodies don’t have the ability to fight off the virus and therefore they get extremely sick and may have multiple out breaks.