Chancroid vs Herpes: How to Tell the Difference

✓ Unlike a herpes skin flare-up, preceded by prodrome symptoms (flu-like symptoms such as fever and chills) and “nerve pain,” chancroid has no preceding signs and symptoms.

✓ Both conditions can present as a sore, but unlike herpes skin lesions, which transform into sores eventually (they start as a red skin patch that turns into bumps, blisters, and then sores), chancroid starts as a sore that over time gets bigger and deeper with significant discharge. Both conditions can present as a sore, but unlike herpes skin lesions, which transform to sores eventually (they start as a red skin patch that turns into bumps, blisters, and then sores), chancroid starts as a sore that over time gets bigger and deeper with significant discharge. [1, 4] Genital Herpes – CDC Detailed Fact Sheet
https://www.cdc.gov/std/herpes/stdfact-herpes-detailed.htm
Chancroid
https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/guidelines/domestic/sexually-transmitted-diseases/chancroid.html

✓ The skin lesions in both conditions are painful, but chancroid presents with significantly more painful and enlarged lymph nodes. The lymph nodes eventually become purulent (meaning they produce a lot of pus). [2, 5] Genital Herpes Symptoms, Pictures, and Treatment
https://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/ss/slideshow-genital-herpes
Chancroid
https://dermnetnz.org/topics/chancroid

✓ The healing time for herpes is much shorter (1 week on average) compared to chancroid, which takes 8 weeks to heal.

✓ Unlike herpes, which heals without scarring, chancroid can form a scar if left untreated.