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Parents of a newborn baby who died just eight days after his birth in May 2018 warn others of the potential dangers of allowing his family and friends to touch and kiss infants. Abigail Rose Friend, who said that her daughter Aliza Rose was born in good health but that she had contracted the herpes virus probably through the kiss of an infected person, went on Facebook to share the tragedy of his family.
"I will never stop sharing the heartbreaking, heartbreaking and heartbreaking story of our sweet Aliza Rose," Friend, from Maryland, posted on Facebook. "She was 8 days old when she passed away. She was born happy in good health near 9lb[sic] baby. She was healthy for a day and a half [SIC] before the HSV-1 virus attaches to his spine and eats his lungs and brain. "
HSV-1 usually causes cold sores or small blisters on the mouth, eyes or lips that can lead to serious infections or even death in newborns because of their undeveloped immune system. According to the New York State Department of Health, about 70% of American adults are infected with HSV-1 and can pass the virus in their saliva at any time, even if they do not have symptoms. The virus can be transmitted to newborns through close contact with someone who is losing HSV-1 or who has an active epidemic.
Infected infants may have low fever, insufficient nutrition or blisters for the first time. Symptoms can quickly escalate into high fever, convulsions, or death. Treatment of infected neonates requires immediate hospitalization and 21 days of antiviral therapy, which may not prevent death or brain damage.
The New York State Department of Health recommends washing hands before touching newborns and not allowing people with cold sores to kiss babies.
Friend, 19, took up this advice in her message, saying that "someone touched her without washing her hands or kissing her face while she was carrying the virus."
"Please, help us save more babies' lives by sharing our story and avoiding kissing babies," she wrote. "WASHING UP [SIC] HANDS. Do not kiss babies.
Friend said that she thought about her daughter every day and that she hoped their tragedy could help raise awareness of newborn care. She said she was unaware of the HSV-1 virus before it strikes her daughter.
"You do not want anything like that to happen," she said, according to The Sun. "It's awful, I just want people to know that it's a very real threat to children."
On May 20, Aliza was removed from the survival system. Friend said that it had taken months to feel ready to tell Aliza 's story and that looking at pictures of her wired girl on a machine was making her sick.
"She was basically connected to any type of machine that can be thought of as having a baby," she said, according to The Sun. "It literally made me sick to see her like this."
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