Mum’s shocking warning to parents: ‘Don’t let people kiss your baby – mine could have died’

Claire Henderson has taken to Facebook to warn other parents about the dangers of kissing your baby on the mouth.

Sharing two photos of her baby daughter Brooke, with her face riddled with cold sores, Claire wrote: “Please share this with every new mum and pregnant woman you know...

“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.”

She continued: “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.”

Claire finished: “She was VERY lucky, all her tests came back clear.

“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.

“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.”

The post has been shared more than 31,000 times since it was uploaded on 16 September.

According to the Department Of Health, there are two types of the Herpes simplex virus (HSV: HSV type 1 usually causes small blisters on the mouth, eye or lips (cold sores) and HSV type 2 usually affects the genital area.

HSV infection in newborn babies can be very severe, potentially affecting the brain, sparking lung and liver disease or skin and eye sores.

And, because newborns' immune systems are not fully developed, it can even cause death.

Were you aware of the dangers of cold sores to babies?

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