Both herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) can be spread through oral or genital contact, or oral-genital contact! While HSV-2 can be spread through oral-genital contact, this is less common, as HSV2 has a preference for infecting genital tissue. However, it’s very important to know that HSV-1 is easily spread through oral-genital contact. While the majority of genital infections are still due to HSV-2, there is an increasing number of genital HSV1 infections, likely due to oral sex. To be safe, you should always use a condom with oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Any sex = condom use!