Other blood tests

Older, non-type specific herpes blood tests do not accurately distinguish between HSV-1 or HSV-2.

  • At least 80% of Australians will have a positive result, because 80% of Australians have cold sores by the time they are 25 years old.
  • These tests are not particularly useful for identifying genital herpes.

Fast fact

Several diagnostic tests can confirm if you have genital herpes