What is the Spanish for "herpes?"
My Spanish speaking friend says he's never heard of herpes. I looked up the word herpes in this dictionary, and from what I read, I think maybe a slang term might be more recognizable to his ears. I can't believe he doesn't know what herpes is, so there must be a slang term he would know.
Thank you.
3 Answers
Maybe if you show him this list and this article, he might be able to recognize the word.
He has never heard the word herpes? I don't know how to say this without offending your friend, but I have never met anyone who went to primary school in Spain who didn't know the word. Maybe he doesn't recognize the word because you are pronouncing the word in English? (in Spanish it sounds different)
It's the medical term for a disease or diseases caused by a virus.
Herpes simplex is a viral infection that mainly affects the mouth or genital area.
Herpes zoster (or simply zoster), commonly known as shingles and also known as zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe. The initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes the acute (short-lived) illness chickenpox which generally occurs in children and young people. Once an episode of chickenpox has resolved, the virus is not eliminated from the body but can go on to cause shingles—an illness with very different symptoms—often many years after the initial infection. Despite the similarity of name, herpes zoster is not the same disease as herpes simplex, although both the varicella zoster virus and herpes simplex virus belong to the same viral subfamily.
