how to test for herpes – Genital herpes virus usually caused by the herpes simplex viruses’ type 1 or type 2. Most genital herpes is caused by HSV-2. When signs occur, they typically appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving tender sores that may take two to four weeks to heal the first time they occur. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months after the first, but it almost always is less severe and shorter than the first outbreak.