A woman from Zhejiang, China, claims she contracted herpes after a karaoke night, sharing her experience on Douyin, China’s TikTok equivalent.
She stated that blisters developed around her mouth shortly after the outing, and medical tests confirmed a herpes infection. “I have to carry this virus for life; there is no medication available to treat it,” she said. “There is only medication to relieve the pain, but the symptoms are recurring.”
The woman did not specify the strain, but HSV-1 typically causes cold sores while HSV-2 leads to genital symptoms. Eight years later, she continues to experience outbreaks, with cold sores now appearing on her cheeks. Experts at Li.Lac, a company producing disinfecting devices for microphones, warned that “contaminated microphones can spread harmful bacteria or viruses, like the flu or other diseases.”
They emphasized the risks in environments where microphones are shared, although HSV-1 generally becomes inactive once saliva dries.