How a simple cold sore can be soo lethal to a young baby!

Today we have Sarah from My Wonderful Mad House guest blogging on a sensitive but necessary topic
Sarah, thank you for joining us today to help spread awareness
You can see Sarah's blog here
http://mywonderfulmadhouse.blogspot.co.uk/

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Having a baby is such a  happy occasion, all you want is to love, care and show off your precious bundle of joy. However amidst all the joy there is one very important thing that as a parent or grandparent or even friend visiting that gorgeous baby for the 1st time should all know about......How a simple kiss can kill!

What am i talking about!?..... Cold Sores.... im sure a few of you may of heard it in the news recently however im still very shocked how many parents still know nothing of this...and worse its something midwifes/doctors etc should yet still dont inform you about..

Here are two news clippings i have read and you will find heartbreaking yet very factual to what i am talking about:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4821804/Baby-boy-Kaiden-McCormick-is-killed-by-loving-dads-kiss.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1081076/Did-I-kill-baby-kiss-How-anguished-mother-didnt-discover-danger-common-cold-sore-virus-late-.html

Herpes Simplex Virus...what exactly is it?
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a virus that usually causes skin infections. There are two types of 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 and can even cause death. This is because newborn's immune systems are not fully developed.

Newborns can sometimes get HSV-1 virus from close contact with someone who is shedding HSV-1 in their saliva (kiss) or has an active HSV-1 outbreak (cold sores)

I strongly urge anyone with a young baby to be extra cautious with who has close contact...it may seem silly or over the top to ask when people visit if they have or have just gotten rid of a cold sore before allowing direct close contact but as parents and those heart broken parents found out the hard way. It really is better to be safe than sorry!!...

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Readers, please share and make others aware
Thank you