Of course it matters. You yourself have said that you are diligent about avoiding communicable diseases from your partners. (All the way down from AIDS to a cold.)
[QUOTE=herpes.com]
The primary difference between the two viral types is in where they typically establish latency in the body- their “site of preference.” HSV-1 usually establishes latency in the trigeminal ganglion, a collection of nerve cells near the ear. From there, it tends to recur on the lower lip or face. HSV-2 usually sets up residence in the sacral ganglion at the base of the spine. From there, it recurs in the genital area .
Even this difference is not absolute either type can reside in either or both parts of the body and infect oral and/or genital areas. Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of this, which contributes both to the spread of type 1 and to the misperception that the two types are fundamentally different.
“People don’t understand that you can have type 1 genitally or orally, that the two types are essentially the same virus,’ says Marshall Clover, manager of the National Herpes Hotline.” One type is associated with stigma, the other is “'just a cold sore”- our society has a euphemism for it so we don’t even have to acknowledge that it’s herpes.‘’
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There is no practical difference between oral and genital herpes. They are the same thing, excepting where they generally like to hang out.
You have said you have rejected potential partners for having genital herpes. There is no practical difference between the two. Yet, you reject partners with genital herpes? Why? And you don’t even ask about oral herpes. Why?
Furthermore, HSV-1 has potentially worse risks (rare, but worse than HSV-2).
[QUOTE=herpes.com]
The common myth is that HSV-1 causes a mild infection that is occasionally bothersome, but never dangerous. The reality? HSV-1 is usually mild, especially when it infects the lips, face, or genitals. However, in some cases type 1 can recur spontaneously in the eye, causing ocular herpes, a potentially serious infection which can lead to blindness. In very rare cases HSV- 1 can spread spontaneously to the brain, causing herpes encephalitis, a dangerous infection that can lead to death… (snip) The range and potential severity of HSV-1 infections lead some experts to view the virus as more risky than usually perceived. “This is heresy, but I think type 1 is a more significant infection than type 2,” says Spotswood Spruance, MD, an oral HSV specialist at the University of Utah. “Type 1, and the morbidity associated with it, are underestimated.”
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Finally,
[QUOTE=herpes.com]
The two types do behave somewhat differently depending on whether they are residing in their site of preference-the mouth and face for HSV-1, and the genital area for HSV-2. But both types are quite common, and under most circumstances neither is a major health threat. That’s one reason medical professionals tend to dismiss HSV -2 despite the emotional trauma a diagnosis can cause for a patient.
While HSV can be a frustrating and painful condition for some people, in general the virus is less a medical problem than a social problem. For most of us, genital herpes is no more dangerous than a cold sore.
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So, no real difference between the two, a worse outside risk profile for HSV-1, and recognition that genital herpes is more a “social problem” than a health one.
Yes, you are free to do whatever you need to to keep yourself free of whatever contagion you see as a threat. And I am free to think that you are contributing to a needless stigma about herpes (that causes real pain and suffering) and is unwarranted and unfair.
Which is really the same thing.