Hookah; Is it just a good time or is it worth the HERPES!

Hookah a common practice spreading around the global may have horrible health consequence. Hookah is a water pipe that consists of a smoke chamber, a water-filled bowl and a hose. Specially-made flavored tobacco, called “shisha,” is heated with charcoal. The smoke passes through the water and is then inhaled using the hose. ( To read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/161880-health-risks-of-hookah-smoking/#ixzz2R8c7YsBU) This practice has become more common in colleges.According to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist  Medical Center, 40.3 percent of students from eight North Carolina colleges and universities reported having smoked tobacco from a hookah, while only a slightly higher percentage (46.6) said they’d ever smoked a cigarette. A surprisingly high 17.4 percent of students surveyed said they regularly use hookah pipes. (read more at http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2011/Hookah_Use_Widespread_Among_College_Students.htm )

When you share the hose with multiple mouths in hookah-smoking social group touch the mouth of the pipe and share the smoke, a person could quite literally catch herpes from the hookah itself. Even if you switch the mouth piece if the bars and cafes did not clean hookah pipes properly you can catch herpes. Herpes transmitted by direct contact with a lesion or the body fluid of an infected individual such as saliva which could easily be trapped in a hookah pipe.Which someone else puts their mouth on transmitting the herpes virus. 

Picture by Anonymous 

 Herpes simplex is a viral disease caused by both Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). Infection with the herpes virus is categorized based on the site of infection. “Oral herpes (HSV-1) – are colloquially called ‘cold sores’ or ‘fever blisters’ infect the face and mouth. Oral herpes is the most common form of infection. Genital herpes (HSV-2) – known simply as ‘herpes’, is the second most common form of herpes.” (Read more at http://www.quitshisha.com/effects-of-shisha/herpes-caused-by-shisha.html)  After initial infection, the viruses are transported to the sensory nerve cell, where they become latent and reside life-long. There is no cure for herpes yet medicine to suppress the recurrent infection from out breaking. Before partaking in this new common practice people please do your research hookah might be fun but can cause herpes and once you get herpes you cannot get rid up it!