A concerned mother has issued a warning after her one-year-old son contracted ''life-threatening'' herpes when he was kissed by someone with a cold sore. Charlotte Jones, from Abergavenny, Wales, went into detail about the ordeal in an eye-opening post on Facebook in which she revealed that little Ellis is still in hospital recovering from the herpes, type 1, virus
In the earlier stages of his condition, doctors told the family they believed he had tonsillitis. It was then suggested that Ellis might have an acute case of ulcers. Days later, however, he tested positive for the herpes virus.
Check out this extraordinary footage of the world's smallest baby:Jones hopes that in making her son's story public, she can educate people on the potential dangers of mouth-to-mouth contact with young children.
"People really don’t realise how a kiss or a touch from someone with a cold sore can be life-threatening for a little body," the mom wrote on Facebook.
Jones continued: "With temperatures reaching 40° nasal drips and 2 cannula's 2 lots of bloods and numerous medication, no food for over a week and barley any juice via bottle. Weve been lucky and Ellis is pulling through it like a boss but for a baby with a low immune system the outcome could be very different."
The doting mother concludes the post by warning people against kissing a baby or a toddler if they are experiencing symptoms of a cold sore.
"Sanitise your hands before you touch the child!" she adds. "In a week Ellis's lips have changed so much, he's still got a way to go yet but is on the mend!"
According to the NHS, when babies and toddlers contract herpes, they are much more vulnerable to the condition as their immune system is not yet equipped to deal with it:
"The younger the baby, the more vulnerable they are to the harmful effects of infection. It's caused by the herpes simplex virus, a highly contagious virus that can cause cold sores and genital ulcers in adults. Herpes can be very serious for a young baby, whose immune system will not have fully developed to fight off the virus."
