In rare cases, herpes viruses can spread to the central nervous system and cause meningitis or encephalitis, typically affecting the temporal lobe, in individuals of all ages.
Doctors have been using a type of herpes virus to treat skin cancer for a couple of years now, and researchers are studying other potential treatments.
If not treated, both the first and second type can transition into the third type which is disseminated infection, where herpes virus causes sepsis and failure of various organs including the heart and brain.