can you get herpes from a toilet seat?

[answer seeker]

is it true that you can really get genital herpes from sitting on a toilet seat? i heard that somewhere and now i feel terrified to sit down in a public restroom!! what's the likelihood of this actually happening?

[getSTDtested Administrator]

It's VERY unlikely. nearly impossible, that you would get genital herpes from a toilet seat. Most sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are transmitted only during sexual contact, either by skin-to-skin contact or through exchange of bodily fluids. The microorganisms — bacteria and viruses — that cause STDs such as genital herpes tend to be sensitive to their surroundings and can't survive outside the human body on a surface like a toilet seat for very long.

[Victoria]

There's an old line about that, "You can't get an STD off a toilet seat unless you sit down before the other person gets up!"

[getSTDtested Administrator]

haha, that's a great line! and a great answer, too- right to the point