A Mum from the UK has taken to Facebook to share her message regarding the dangers of letting people kiss newborn babies after her daughter contracted the herpes simplex virus.
Image from Claire Henderson’s Facebook Page
Following the birth of her beautiful daughter Brooke a month ago, Claire and her family were inundated with well meaning visitors eager to see Claire and meet Brooke for the first time. It was one of these visitors who was a carrier for the herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-!) which most commonly causes cold sores and is transferred via oral contact. Even if a carrier has no visible cold sores, the virus can still be transmitted through saliva and other bodily fluids.
Claire says she noticed Brooke had swollen lips and a small cold sore one night while feeding her and took her to their nearest hospital where she was admitted and on a drip for five days.
Image from Claire Henderson’s Facebook Page
In her Facebook post Claire explains the danger of young babies contracting Herpes:
“COLD SORES CAN BE FATAL FOR A BABY. 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….. The moral of the story is DO NOT let anyone kiss your newborns mouth, even if they don’t look like they have a cold sore – 85% of the population carry the virus.”
Image from Claire Henderson’s Facebook Page
Claire has been successful with her message with her original post being shared more than 46,000 times.
We wish Claire, Brooke and their family all of the very best.
