 [ Symptoms ] could i have genital herpes and not know [ Disease ] unless no one has ever kissed you and unless you have never had sex it is possible that you have picked up an oral or genital herpes virus oral herpes usually caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1 hsv 1 shows up as cold sores or fever blisters on the mouth even a casual peck on the lips from someone with a cold sore can give you the virus that is why it is so common as many as 50 to 80 of adults in the u s have oral herpes genital herpes most often caused by the second type of herpes virus hsv 2 is less common but plenty of people still have it roughly one in five american adults has genital herpes but up to 90 of those who have it do not know they are infected you could be one of them