Mother wants to raise awareness on cold sores after her kid got herpes
A mother is raising awareness on the dangers of cold sores after her child came down with a case of herpes, as the Independent reports.
Samantha Rodgers, from Des Moines in Iowa, US, decided to share her experience with her baby, Juliano, who developed lots of cold sores. The doctors repeatedly dismissed her worries.
She was told that he probably had the flu or a serious case of hand, foot and mouth disease. However, Juliano’s symptoms kept getting worse and he was in terrible pain. “His sores were growing onto his hands and his neck and his stomach,” Rodgers told WRIC.
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Juliano was eventually taken to a children’s hospital and, after being tested, his mother found out what the real problem was. “They swabbed his mouth and tested it and it came back as he has herpes,” she said.
Someone with the virus must have inadvertently touched or kissed the baby. “Pretty much this person gave my baby herpes not intentionally,” Rodgers said, adding that she doesn’t know who passed herpes on to Juliano.
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and usually clear up after seven to ten days, according to NHS. They are highly contagious and can spread via saliva, skin and touch. There is no known cure for herpes, which means most people have the virus their whole lives, although it remains inactive most of the time.
“It sucks because this is a life-long problem now every time he runs a fever, every time he’s sick he can have an outbreak, I don’t know how to handle this,” Rodgers said. “I am trying to do the best. It’s sad. It breaks my heart and I can’t do anything to help him.”
Juliano will be leaving the hospital soon to finish his treatment at home, where Rodgers will try to get him to eat something for the first time since last week.
“All I can say is just be cautious, it can be anybody – your best friend, your sister, your brother, or your mom, it can be anybody,” she said. “Everybody needs to wash their hands, sanitise if you see a cold sore or anything on them, just don’t let them come by your baby.”
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