Many times there is debate about whether or not to give babies kisses in the mouth. There are those who say that there is nothing wrong, that it is only a sign of affection. Who else, who less, we have all kissed our son in the mouth. But there are those who say it is dangerous because we pass many of our microorganisms from their mouths and they can catch some disease.
A priori, if you are healthy, the risk is low. However, if you have any disease, a virus, it is totally contraindicated. One of the most dangerous viruses in this regard is herpes simplex, which sometimes manifests itself in the form of wounds, ulcers, on the lips. At that time the person is contagious. Well, it is clear that it is not a good idea to kiss anyone in that case, and less a baby, because recently it has been known that a baby died in Australia, days before one month, Because of a kiss.
Herpes simplex
The virus of herpes simplex It is a virus that causes wounds, ulcers, in the mouth or on the face. Also receive the name of cold sores or cold sores. It can also affect the genital area, the buttocks or the anus area and is a dangerous virus in newborns or people with the immature immune system.
There are two types of this virus, type 1 which is the one that normally affects the lips, although it can also produce genital herpes, and type 2, which usually produces genital herpes, but sometimes affects the mouth.
It is a virus that is spread by direct contact. There are asymptomatic people, who never suffer wounds and others have ulcers near the area where they were infected.
The shoots, the wounds, they can happen several times a year, or sometimes be quite a while without manifesting, until a drop in defenses is manifested. I, for example, have herpes from time to time. In times of a lot of stress I can have it up to twice in a row, but if I am calmer, I can be years without suffering it.
When these wounds exist, these pupae in the mouth, the contact should be limited. The affected can't kiss anyone (Nothing would happen on the cheek, but on the mucosa of another person's lips, yes).
If you kiss a person who already has the virus, well look, it probably will not affect him too much because he already has it, but if you spread to someone who has not passed it the risk is obvious, especially if we talk about people with a compromised immune system , as is the case with newborns.
The case of the Australian girl
Eloise Lampton was born on November 1 by caesarean section at Mackay Hospital, north of Queensland. Daughter of Sarah Pugh, 28, and Douglas Lampton, 35, died 24 days after being infected with herpes virus when I was still in the hospital, days after birth.
At first, as they tell us from Daily Mail, everything was going well. Eloise went home like any baby. The first few days, in fact, I slept a lot, I didn't cry. She seemed simply a very calm girl.
However, he began to lose weight. The doctors believed that there was a problem with food, but the thing did not improve. Got to lose one kilo in a week and her health condition worsened so much that she was taken to the hospital worried.
They sedated the girl and connected her to the machines to keep her stable while they found out the cause.
After two days of testing and analysis, they informed the parents, who have three more children, than the girl had been infected by the herpes virus. They thought he could have been infected by the mother at some point, but when testing him they saw that he was negative for the disease.
They had no visitors, so they didn't guess who it was: maybe the father? (in the news they do not comment that he was tested) maybe a nurse? Maybe an unknown visitor?
They tried to save his life, but being in the hospital he took a staphylococcus and then there was nothing to do for her.
Whoever it is that will infect you is important to be clear, very clear, that herpes is a virus dangerous enough to end the life of a newborn.
So we don't kiss children?
I have done it with my children, I have kissed them in the mouth of little ones. It came out of me. I liked doing it because it was a way to show them my love. Now that they have grown up I don't do it because I prefer to do it on the cheek, but I don't see anything bad that is done.
The only thing to be clear about is that most viruses are spread by saliva, both the most common and the cold, as the most dangerous. If you are not feeling well because you have any symptoms, do not kiss them and always keep your hands clean. If you are well, you decide.
Photos | Thinkstock
In Babies and more | Kisses on the mouth to children, yes or no ?, Children have to be able to choose who to kiss and who does not, Kisses to the babies of others
