the.com/herpes

means A viral infection that causes recurring sores or blisters on the skin, most often around the mouth or genitals, and settles permanently into nerve cells where it can flare up again throughout life.

from From Greek 'herpein,' meaning 'to creep,' which is also the root of 'herpetology,' the study of reptiles — same slithering idea. The Greeks, including Hippocrates, used the word for any skin condition that seemed to crawl or spread across the body, like a slow-moving rash. Over centuries it narrowed to name this specific creeping, recurring viral infection.