06 Feb The Life Insurance View of Genital Herpes
What is genital herpes?
Genital herpes is an STD contracted from either the HSV-1 or HSV-2 virus. Genital herpes cases are predominantly caused by the HSV-2 virus, but HSV-1 cases are growing steadily due to oral sex. When symptoms appear, genital herpes presents itself as sores or lesions on the genitals, anus or upper thighs. To date, there are no statistics regarding how many Americans have genital herpes, only statistics on how many have HSV-2. This is because the blood tests that detect HSV-1 and HSV-2 are not able to tell you where on the body the virus is residing (orally or genitally).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 776,000 people in the U.S. are infected annually with HSV-2, but they are not certain how many of these cases are oral herpes or genital herpes.
Genital herpes symptoms usually appear 2-12 days after exposure to the virus and emerge as vesicles (or blisters) in the genital area or rectum.
How is genital herpes transmitted?
Genital herpes can be contracted from infected bodily fluids, including semen, vaginal fluid, saliva or herpes lesions, sores or blister fluid. Genital herpes is transmitted through unprotected oral, vaginal or anal sex, or from skin-to-skin contact with an infected partner. Chances of transmitting genital herpes (whether HSV-1 or HSV-2) increase if there are open, active sores or lesions present. It is possible to contract genital herpes even if your partner does not show symptoms.
Genital herpes can only be prevented by abstaining from sexual activities. Latex or polyurethane condoms can help lower the risk of transmission for those who are sexually active, but because condoms do not cover all of the area that may be infected, genital HSV-1 and HSV-2 can still be contracted while using a condom.
What are the symptoms of genital herpes?
Symptoms of genital herpes include vesicles, sores, lesions, blisters, painful ulcers, itching and/or burning in the genital area, anus or upper thighs. Approximately two-thirds of people with genital herpes do not experience symptoms or have symptoms that are so mild they are confused with other skin conditions. In instances where symptoms are not present, genital herpes can still be transmitted. Our doctors recommend getting tested for both herpes type 1 and herpes type 2 to learn your status.
The Life Insurance View of genital herpes
Since herpes is not a life-threatening illness, the effect on a life insurance application will be minimal, if there is any at all. Generally speaking, your life insurance application and policy will be underwritten based on the condition of your overall health apart from your herpes condition.
If your overall health is excellent, you’ll most likely get a rating of Preferred +, and pay the lowest possible premium.
This makes a strong case for making sure that your health is otherwise excellent. That means maintaining a proper ratio of weight to height, eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and having regular physicals and doctor visits as needed.
In most cases, the insurance company will require a medical exam, but this is not due to the fact that you have herpes. It is in fact a typical requirement for most life insurance policies. The examiner will come to your home or place of employment, and perform the usual procedures, including checking your height and weight and taking blood and urine specimens. But again, this is not because of your herpes condition.
There Is No Benefit For Failing to Disclose a Herpes Condition
With just about any health related condition, there is always a consideration to simply not disclose it on the application. This can be particularly tempting with conditions such as herpes, particularly if it is in remission or if the visible signs have ended. But it generally will not count against you if you disclose that you have the condition.
More important is that you build trust between yourself, the life insurance agent, and the life insurance company you’re applying to. Since the life insurance company is very likely to find out that you do in fact have the condition, honesty is always the best policy. The fact that you admitted to having herpes will give an insurance underwriter more confidence in your other answers.
Any time that you fail to disclose a health condition on a life insurance application it can only lead to more questions later on. And it can even result in the decline of your policy, if you’ve been less than truthful.
Applying for Life Insurance
If you have been holding off applying for life insurance because of a herpes condition, wait no longer. Your condition will generally not be a factor in the application process. You may very well be eligible for a Preferred + rating, which will get you the best premium rate on your policy.
But in order to be certain of a favorable outcome, you should work with an agent who has experience placing life insurance policies for people with herpes. Even though the disease is non-lethal, different life insurance companies view herpes in different ways. The key to success is always to be sure to apply only to the companies that will take the most favorable view of your condition. Only an experienced life insurance agent – one who works with many different companies – will know who the good companies are. That will save you both time searching, and unnecessary money spent on inflated premiums.
Other Life Insurance Concerns if left untreated
Some herpes viruses can cause meningitis or encephalitis. HSV encephalitis is mainly caused by HSV-1, whereas meningitis is more often caused by HSV-2. Herpes viruses have been linked to Recurrent Lymphocytic Meningitis (Mollaret’s meningitis), which is characterized by sudden attacks of meningitis symptoms that last for 2-7 days and are separated by symptom-free (latent) intervals lasting for weeks, months or years.
Genital herpes and pregnancy
Genital herpes can be very dangerous to an infant during childbirth. If the mother has an active infection (whether or not symptoms are present), the baby can contract the virus. If the baby contracts the virus during birth, it can affect the skin, eyes, mouth, central nervous system, and/or even spread to internal organs via disseminated disease which can cause organ failure and lead to death. Disseminated diseases that result can include hepatitis, pneumonitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, or a combination, with or without encephalitis or skin disease.
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