The herpes simplex virus can be passed to a baby through a cold sore if a person has a cold sore and kisses the baby. The herpes virus can also be spread to your baby if you have a blister caused by herpes on your breast and you feed your baby with the affected breast or expressed breast milk from the affected breast.
Kids can get HSV-1 by kissing or touching a person with cold sores, or by sharing eating utensils, towels, or other items with an infected person. Many kids get infected with HSV-1 during the preschool years.
In some cases, your baby may become infected when someone who has an active infection touches, kisses, hugs, or cuddles your baby. If the infection is limited to the mouth, skin, or eyes, your baby may recover with antiviral treatment. If left untreated, though, the herpes infection may spread to important organs.
If someone in your household has herpes simplex, you can protect your child by making sure he or she is not exposed. Keep in mind that the virus may be in saliva even when there are no cold sores. Tell your child not to kiss, share cups or utensils, or share washcloths or towels with the person.
This is the No. 1 thing parents can do to safeguard their child from not only HSV-1 and HSV-2 but also other viruses and bacteria that can make your baby sick. Do not allow anyone with a cold sore, or anyone who you know has had a cold sore in the previous week, to hold or kiss your baby.
Cold sores themselves aren't dangerous, but it is possible for the virus to spread to other parts of the body – and that can be dangerous. It's very unusual for a child to get a cold sore in the first six months or so of life, because the antibodies received from his mother offer some protection.
HSV is especially dangerous to babies under 6 months of age. Parents or relatives with cold sores should be especially careful not to kiss babies—their immune systems are not well developed until after about 6 months old.
Most HSV infections in newborns are caused by HSV-2 that the infant catches from the mother's birth canal. Newborns can sometimes get HSV-1 from close contact with someone who is shedding HSV-1 virus in their saliva or has an active HSV-1 outbreak (cold sores).
Truth: You can get a cold sore by kissing.
Even if you don't see the sores, the virus can still be contagious. But you should be especially cautious about kissing someone who has active blisters, because that's when the virus spreads most easily.
The first time you have a cold sore, symptoms may not start for up to 20 days after you were first exposed to the virus. The sores can last several days. And the blisters can take 2 to 3 weeks to heal completely.
Herpesviruses isolated from patients with oral lesions were found to survive for as long as two hours on skin, three hours on cloth, and four hours on plastic.
The first question people ask is, “Are cold sores contagious?” The answer is yes. HSV-1 is as easy to spread as it is tough to fight. The cold sore virus can be spread through skin-to-skin contact. It sneaks into your body through a mucous membrane in your mouth or damaged skin.
Don't kiss.
The cold sore should not contact anyone, so no kissing, not even on the cheek.
A baby is most at risk of getting a herpes infection in the first 4 weeks after birth. You should not kiss a baby if you have a cold sore to reduce the risk of spreading infection. Cold sores and other blisters caused by the herpes virus are at their most contagious when they burst.
Kissing and cold sores
If you have an active cold sore, it's best to avoid kissing anyone, anywhere, until it has completely healed. Even if the blister has dried up and is healing, you still have the live virus on your face.
It is also possible to get genital herpes if you receive oral sex from a sex partner who has oral herpes. You will not get herpes from toilet seats, bedding, or swimming pools, or from touching objects around you such as silverware, soap, or towels.
Children and teachers/caregivers with recurrent infection (ie, cold sores) do not need to be excluded as long as there is no drooling. A very serious eye infection can result when people with virus on their hands from cold sores transmit it to their eyes. Good hygiene, especially hand hygiene, cannot be overemphasized.
Within 48 hours, the blisters tend to burst and leak fluid. This stage can be painful and may last for around 3 days. This is when the cold sores may be most contagious.
When it comes to visitors, those who have colds or other respiratory illnesses should not hold your newborn. If they do not have a runny nose, sore throat, or cough, it is ok for them to hold your baby, as long as they wash their hands or use alcohol hand gel prior to holding him/her.
Dr Prasad says to prevent serious health consequences, everyone, including moms, should avoid kissing infants early on.
Newborn babies have a weak immune system, which makes them easily prone to viral infections. The first month is pivotal, and therefore, it is best to prevent anyone from kissing the baby on the face (12).
Cold sores are only caught by direct skin contact, with the affected area.