Herpes is the simplified slang for Herpesviridae, being a broad family of viruses that carry diseases in animals. Herpes tend to be highly contagious and damned near impossible to get rid of. Many forms of herpes can lead to latent infections.
Herpes can also represent pretty much any ailment you like, such as referring to the common cold as "nose herpes", bronchitis as "lung herpes", or a hangnail as "finger herpes". As such, herpes is a very versatile term.
