When Ashleigh White noticed her son’s eye was looking red and watery she asked around to see if it was anything serious that she should be worried about. A health visitor assured her that it was simply a blocked tear duct, something that commonly happens to babies and nothing to be too worried about. A few days later Ashleigh noticed that baby Noah’s condition was worsening, now there were blisters appearing.
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The concerned mother rushed the baby to the doctor, fearing that it could be herpes, a sexually transmitted infection that is more commonly passed through cold sores. “I’d read somewhere on Facebook about another baby having the virus and the blisters looked exactly the same. What I didn’t realize was that even if you don’t have an active cold sore, you still dod carry the virus in your system and saliva, meaning you can never be too careful.” Ashleigh said.
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After a series of tests doctors confirmed the young moms fear that her baby had contracted the disease, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1). The doctors further explained that more than likely the Noah had contracted the infection from a kiss from an adult. Immediately Ashleigh knew where it had happened. Five days earlier they held Noah’s Christening, where he came into contact with all sorts of people ooh-ing and ahh-ing over him.
“He was only four weeks old. We went to a Christening where friends and family were holding and kissing him- it could have been any of them.”
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Little Noah spent 10 weeks in the hospital recovering from the outbreak. Now 9 months old Noah is in much better condition and doing well. He did suffer from an outbreak again in March of this year, and will be on antiviral medication until 2020 at least. If the family wouldn’t have caught this infection so early in its development, the outcome could have been much different. Since babies have such weak immune systems, something that gives adults cold sores, can be fatal. Noah was taken to a children’s hospital where he was immediately put on medication- any later and the the virus could have spread to his brain and caused multiple organ failure.
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“He spent two hours in theatre for what should have been a half hour operation, because he was so tiny. He was then to be on the prophylactic antiviral for six months. Unfortunately he had a re-occurrence in March and again went through the same thing, two weeks of intense antivirals and now he won’t be off his antivirals until March, 2020. We still have a long way to go yet before we’re out of the dark.” said Ashleigh about Noah’s condition. Now the young mom is doing what she can to raise awareness about what happened to Noah, and how easy it is to happen to others. “I just want to make more people aware of the risks and consequences of kissing a baby, especially a newborn when you suffer from cold sores. I was lucky enough to catch it in time and still have my little boy with me today, other parents might not be so lucky.”
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