Unfortunately, it is not the first time that we echo this type of news, but we believe it is important to disseminate it to inform about dangers of the herpes simplex virus in newborns and young babies.
This virus, which is mainly transmitted through saliva, was responsible for the death of a two-week-old baby in the United Kingdom, and his parents wanted to share his story to raise awareness among all families about risks that other people kiss to newborns.
He contracted the herpes virus through a kiss
Kiara He was only ten days old when her parents took her to the hospital before a sharp decrease in weight. He was born on July 30, and until the moment of his hospital admission he was a healthy baby.
During the days he was in the hospital, the doctors did all kinds of tests to find out what was happening to him, but the child's health was so delicate that he quickly developed a sepsis and died.
The virus that ended the life of the newborn was herpes simplex (VHS), which doctors said he contracted through a kiss. This virus, responsible for cold and genital herpes in adults, is extremely dangerous in babies, whose immune system is still immature to fight against it.
Her parents, disconsolate, have wanted to share the story of their little girl to warn of the severity of this virus, and the importance of preventing anyone from kissing other people's babies. This was stated by his mother, Kelly Ineson, in the Daily Mail:
"The doctors They asked us if we remember someone with herpes or discomfort on the lips kissing our baby, but the truth is that we do not remember it. Not even in my worst nightmares I imagined that a kiss could kill my baby, and I don't want other parents to go through the same thing "
In Babies and more "Don't kiss my baby": the serious danger that can give kisses to newbornsAn aggressive but very rare virus
From the Herpes Virus Association of the United Kingdom insist on affirming that although aggressive, This type of virus is uncommon in infants, and a cause "very unusual neonatal death". According to the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics, in Spain there are no recent official data, although a 2016 study speaks of three cases in a sample of 3,401 infants, although they are data that cannot be confirmed.
There are two types of this virus., HSV type 1 which is the one that normally affects the lips, although it can also produce genital herpes, and HSV type 2, which usually produces genital herpes, but sometimes affects the mouth.
Although in adults it is not serious, in newborns or very young babies it can be, because your immune system is still immature and the infection could spread rapidly and affect the vital organs. As has happened in the case of this baby.
A baby can be infected by the herpes simplex virus through three channels:
- Intrauterine infection (the rarest form of infection, with less than 5% of cases)
It occurs when the mother contracts the virus during the last stage of pregnancy (approximately six weeks before birth), not giving time to develop antibodies that can protect the baby.
In Babies and more I am pregnant: What could harm my baby?- Neonatal infection (the most frequent form of infection, with 85% of cases)
In this case, the AEPap speaks of a risk of infection in the baby between 50-57%, if the maternal infection is primary, and less than 2% if it is recurrent infections.
It happens for him contact of the newborn with the genital secretions of the infected birth canal, be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Most neonatal infections (70%) occur in mothers with asymptomatic infection during childbirth, so preventive measures cannot be taken.
But in case the mother shows symptoms of genital herpes before the bag rupture, or active lesions when the bag rupture has already occurred, experts advise to perform a caesarean section.
- Postnatal infection (occurs in 10% of cases)
It is produced by the direct contact of the newborn with the herpes simplex virus (often through cold sores), or by contact with the saliva of a person with the infection, for example, by a kiss on the lips or near the mouth. Hence the importance of educating about hygiene and contact measures to reduce transmission risks.
In the event that the mother has cold sores, the AEPap recommends using a mask, not kissing the baby and covering the skin lesions.
In Babies and more This is the reason why no one should kiss a baby on the mouth: his daughter was close to not telling herAccording to the Herpes Virus Association, the problem with this form of infection is that many people do not know that they carry the virus, since only one in three have symptoms that lead to a diagnosis, or even sometimes the symptoms are so mild that they can go unnoticed.
Therefore, when we visit a newborn, it is vitally important to ensure that we are not sick, extreme hygiene measures when touching or holding him in the arms, and, above all, not kissing him near the lips.
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