im living in korea at the moment and just found out i have herpes. woo-hoo! anyway, i want to come and work in taiwan when my contract finishes. will having herpes make me fail the taiwan health check?
ive got the kind that noone wants…
no
Thanks, kid_red, for your posting. I have the same problem and question but I was too embarrassed to ask.
I know herpes as blister on the lips, but I guess that’s not what you meant… 
Herpes on lips is HSV1, genital herpes is HSV2. But you can also have HSV1 on your genitals or HSV2 on your lips, so there is no way to check it with a blood-test and be sure about the result.
The antibodies for HSV2 are found in every 5th person’s blood, so it’s very very common, although only 20% of people with herpes know about having it.
When they ask about STD-s, just say you don’t have them. You don’t need to prove not having genital herpes.
The short answer to your question was already in Bushibanned’s post.
There are blood tests to differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2. They aren’t effetive during the initial outbreal b/c it takes a while to develop antibodies. (Culture and DNA testing can be used early during active outbreaks.) As Notsu mentioned, though, both types of HSV can hit either area. The prognosis may be different, in that HSV-1 tends to recur less often than genital HSV-2 whereas oral HSV-2 tends to recur less often than oral HSV-1. Seems like I read that somewhere, anyway.
So, as bushibanned said, they won’t test for herpes. Knowing the type might be helpful for pregnant couples to see if the male is HSV-positive but the female is HSV-negative–first-time (materna) outbreaks are more likely to cause neonatal herpes, which can be quite dangerous.
If the outbreaks become frequent you might ask your doctor about daily suppressive therapy with acyclovir or one of its analogs.
I came to Taiwan to make some cash and get a little culture. I have worked for three schools now after just one year because the schools keep closing due to a slow slow economy and rampant inflation. And now 2 of my friends have gotten Herpes. I have been told there is nearly an eppidemic of Herpes in Taiwan. I have saved no money, it has been a real stuggle to find a decent paying job and it was expensive just coming here and getting set up. Boy were my friends at home wrong when they told me to Come to Taiwan. I want to get out of here but I can’t even afford the flight home.
Hang in there bud, and think about trying a new country…Korea maybe? The schools there pay for flights, housing, and the pay is higher than in Taiwan. How about making a change and trying a new Asian country before jumping ship and flying home? Things will probably start to look up.
As for the herpes bit, I don’t know what to tell you. Many people at home have herpes too. Some guys seem to think that the girls here are less experienced or vigins, so they don’t expect to get an STD when they have unprotected sex. The reality is different though. There is a lot more promiscuity on the part of Taiwanese women than meets the western eye (or like my husband always says, they are “virgin-on-the-ridiculous”).
Having said that, condoms don’t always prevent herpes from spreading, if I am correct. So, be smart, know your partners before jumping in the hay.
Anyway, best of luck…but don’t worry because there are always other alternatives and you are never stuck here. 
According to one source, below are the numbers of people with herpes in various countries:
US: 72,334,235 out of 293,655,405 = 24%
Canada: 8,007,454 out of 32,507,874 = 24%
UK: 14,846,093 out of 60,270,708 = 24%
Australia: 4,905,075 out of 19,913,144 = 24%
Taiwan: 5,603,820 out of 22,749,838 = 24%
wrongdiagnosis.com/g/genital … ountry.htm
So you can see, the rate of herpes infection is exactly the same in every country of the world. 
Wear a condom.
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]According to one source, below are the numbers of people with herpes in various countries:
US: 72,334,235 out of 293,655,405 = 24%
Canada: 8,007,454 out of 32,507,874 = 24%
UK: 14,846,093 out of 60,270,708 = 24%
Australia: 4,905,075 out of 19,913,144 = 24%
Taiwan: 5,603,820 out of 22,749,838 = 24%
wrongdiagnosis.com/g/genital … ountry.htm
So you can see, the rate of herpes infection is exactly the same in every country of the world. 
Wear a condom.[/quote]
Err … you need to go and read that source again. In particular, this bit:
In other words: “If we assume the same level of incidence in the US as the rest of the world, then these are the figures we would get. We don’t actually have the faintest idea how many people in Taiwan have herpes, but we’ll give you this figure (accurate to 7 significant figures) in the hope that you’ll think we know what we’re talking about” 
I wonder why the site is called Wrong Diagnosis?
The Taiwan data is extrapolated from US stats.
In other words, they are assuming that the percentages are the same in US and in Taiwan. :loco:
I don’t think there’s more genital herpes in Taiwan than in any other regions of the world. While 20-25% of the adult population has genital herpes, it only gives visible symptoms to 1/5th of infected people. Most people who have herpes never find out about it.
Genital herpes may live in your body for years (or your whole life) without any symptoms whatsoever. When your immune system is low you may suddenly get nasty blisters and it doesn’t mean you have been freshly infected. Maybe you and your friends have just been working/drinking/partying way more than your immune system is used to?
Anyway, herpes is so common that if you’ve had unprotected sex with more than 5 women/men, you probably have it - just that most people are lucky enough never to find out about being infected. Ignorance is bliss. Good luck and remember that it’s YOU and only YOU who is responsible for what diseases you pick up - condoms are sold to be used! 
Is this really true? I mean, really?
Is this really true? I mean, really?[/quote]
You’re kidding right?
I went through a horrible experience some years back where my partner had all the symptoms and I thought I must have been a carrier with no symptoms and gave it to them. I was really stressed about that and went to the doc. No herpes and partners symptoms ended up as something else.
But, I sympathise with anyone who has this. Females can be the worst off and can have a flair up with each cycle.
Is this really true? I mean, really?[/quote]
This is true. Only 20% of people with herpes develop symptoms of any kind - could be really bad symptoms or could be a one-time little rash. It is estimated that 60-70% of people who carry the virus never find out about having it. Therefore it is not only stupid but also irresponsible not to use condoms - every 4th sexually active person has herpes - it is not tested during regular checkups, so there is no reason to believe that you or your partner (no matter how nice s/he is) are both clean.
As I said - ignorance is bliss-, and most of the people need to learn this lesson the hard way. :s
ok I went to hospital to get some med to suppress herpes symptoms from coming out…they say to don’t have such drugs…is it true? that don’t have and med to suppress it or maybe my Chinese is that bad that they couldn’t understand me. Do I need prescription to get this kind of med?
I find it’s best to just go right up to the counter, unzip, and lay the shlong right out on the counter. The glass ones with lighting are preferable. This way, even if your verbal communication is lacking, the pharmacist can take a good look at your todger and give you exactly what you need.
Voila! Problem solved. :discodance:
Since you are new to Taiwan, here is something you should know. You can get medicines at pharmacies without
going to hospitals.
I’ve always wanted a glass schlong with lights.
To the OP: the health check does not include a test for herpes. When the doctor asks if you have any health problems - which was the extent of my health check from the doctor - just say ‘no’. Unless your face is covered with blisters, they will not check further.