I, too, was aware that in 1978 about 900 members of the Peopleâs Temple living at Jonestown in Guyana took their own lives with a concoction of grape Flavor-Aid, Valium, Phenergan and cyanide.
Both cold sore and fever blister refer to the lip blisters caused by infections of the Herpes Simplex I virus (not to be confused with Herpes Simplex II, which is generally associated with genital herpes). Cold Sores are viral infections which cause recurrent groups of irritating, even painful blisters on the lips. The Herpes Simplex I virus affects more than half of the adult population, and over 50 million people in the US experience at least one cold sore outbreak per year.
Learn what causes cold sores. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV), a common worldwide virus that is contagious. There are two types of HSV. HSV-1 causes cold sores or fever blisters around the mouth and HSV-2 usually causes genital herpes (although HSV-1 can also cause genital herpes). HSV-1 is spread through skin to skin contact like kissing or through sharing utensils or glasses.