Claire Henderson is warning parents not to let anyone kiss their newborn babies on the mouth after her baby daughter was hospitalized with potentially fatal cold sores. Fortunately, Claire noticed the early signs of the herpes simplex virus and rushed her daughter, Brooke, to the doctors. Although cold sores are harmless for the majority adults, for infants the virus can cause permanent damage to organs and be potentially fatal because they have not built up enough natural immunity at their young age.
Photo credit: Facebook / Claire Henderson
Sadly, many people are still unaware of the life-threatening complications that can arise from exposing infants to cold sores. Claire was prompted to share her experience on Facebook to help spread awareness and educate parents.
Photo credit: Facebook / Claire Henderson
Her post reads:
“Please share this with every new mum and pregnant woman you know…COLD SORES CAN BE FATAL FOR A BABY,” Claire wrote on Facebook. “Before 3 months old a baby cannot fight the herpes virus. If a baby contracts this it can cause liver and brain damage and lead to death. I know this sounds like I am scaremongering but if my friend had not told me about this my baby girl could have been very seriously ill.”
“I noticed the signs early and got her to A&E, we have now been in hospital on a drip for 3 days and have got another 2 to go. She was VERY lucky, all her tests came back clear. The moral of the story is DO NOT let anyone kiss your newborn’s mouth, even if they don’t look like they have a cold sore – 85% of the population carry the virus. And if someone had a cold sore ask them to stay away until it has gone.”
“Everyone who I have spoken to had not heard of this before and so I felt it was important to share Brooke’s story and raise awareness to stop anyone else going through what we have this week.”
Brooke is now on the mend after spending 5 days at hospital. Please share this important information with everyone you know. It’s not only important for parents to know, but also for anyone visiting newborns to know too!
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