Cold sores /lip herpes contagion

[Ksjwks]

If you live with your partner or husband who gets cold sores sometimes, have you managed to avoid catching them? If so how.
My partner has what looks like a cold sore come up on his lip although it's hard to tell as he's black. He says he has got similar come up on his lip from time to time before every few years. Looks like a small cluster of tiny blisters or bumps but is not open or weeping. He did not know that it could be a cold sore.
Anyway I have given him loads of information about cold sores and all the precautions he needs to take until it clears so we will see. Obvs no oral sex or kissing.
Just wondering if it is inevitable that I will catch it.
Been living together a year, he's not had any other lip bumps in that time.

Not husband or partner but my mum and sister have had them my whole life and I never got one. Antibody blood test also showed I had no antibodies for any Herpes virus types (never had chicken pox or shingles or mouth or genital herpes - was tested prior to initiating a medication known to cause massive flares of dormant herpesvirus ). Rules were no kissing or sharing towels or glasses or cutlery when they had an active cold sore. That was it basically. They had them a couple times a year my whole childhood.

It does sound like a coldsore. Equally it could be excema or a fungal infection esp if it's in the corner of his mouth. Coldsores do tend to get bigger and weep a bit. They itch/tingle and can feel like they throb too. See what its like tomorrow.
Have been with my DH for nearly 30 years. I get coldsores a few times a year, have had them since I was a baby. DH has never had one. My DC haven't had one either. When I feel one on its way and until it's fully healed, no skin to skin contact, no sharing drinks, utensils, towels etc. I wash my hands if I touch it. The clear patches are good at providing a physical barrier and speed up the healing, but fall off when it's at the weepy stage. The medicated cream doesn't do much once the blisters are visible, but I think I've stopped a fair few in their tracks using it at the tingly stage

You may well already have the virus and just not get sores. Just avoid kissing when/if he has a sore or feels a sore coming on (tingling or soreness)

Ive been with my dh for 30 odd years and he gets cold sores and I've never had one. Kids dont get them either. Maybe I carry the virus but am asymptomatic

This is good information, thanks.
If I do already carry the virus, how do I avoid passing it on to anyone else? I have grandchildren and would hate for it to be passed on to them. They love to play with me with their toys and books. I'm not sure how to manage this

I have had since I was a teenager, my husband and three children have never displayed symptoms. That doesn’t mean they haven’t caught the virus, or course, as the majority of people carry it.
Basically hand washing, no kissing etc and avoid sharing towels.
In terms of you potentially having the virus and not passing it on to grandkids… unless you’re showing any symptoms then just carry on as normal.

I get them sometimes. Probably once a year at this point. My partner of 15 years has never caught them and none of our kids have either.
The virus doesn’t survive well anywhere but the right kind of skin (muscus membranes I think is the right word) so although it’s possible to say, touch an infected lesion with a finger and then touch another person’s face and spread it like that, it’s not that likely if you’re avoiding touching the sore and washing your hands frequently. The same for utensils and towels - it’s good practice not to share while someone has an active cold sore, but you don’t need to keep everything permanently separate or anything. Once a towel has been through the washing machine or a glass has been washed with detergent and hot water it’s fine to be used by someone else. You don’t need to worry about spreading the virus to your grandkids via books and toys. Just don’t kiss them or their toys if you ever have an active cold sore.

I’ve had cold sores since I was a small child and I haven’t passed them onto either DH or our DC.
I basically kept them at arms length whenever I had a cold sore, made sure I had my own face cloth and towel.
Thankfully I haven’t had one for over ten years now, I don’t know why as some that I had in my teens and twenties were horrendous.

Isn't it about 80% of the population globally carries the virus but only a low percentage show symptoms. I've had them since a toddler and none of my children ever had a cold sore, or my husband or previous partners. But in my birth family my father, myself and one of my siblings had them.
Just don't touch the sores, don't share drinking utensils etc. You can't catch it through the air, you would have to have direct contact with the infection. Babies have more risk, but little kids playing with yourself who doesn't have a cold sore will be fine.

Thanks everyone, very reassuring