In the 1st century, the Roman Empire’s solution to a mysterious outbreak wasn’t medicine or science, it was “stop kissing each other.” Emperor Tiberius actually banned public smooching, and historians think an oral herpes epidemic was the reason.

This video uses that historical footnote to explain what herpes really is, how HSV-1 and HSV-2 infect the body, and why the virus is so annoyingly good at sticking around. It breaks down how herpes hides in your nerve cells, why flare-ups happen, how treatments help keep it under control, and why a true cure has been so hard to crack. Check it out!