Newborn Dies From Kiss Due To Cold Sore Mystery Person Had

A newborn died from a kiss due to a cold sore that a mystery person had. The tragic incident occurred in Queensland, Australia, last month, just weeks after the baby was born. Somehow the infant contracted a virus from an unknown person and instantly fell sick.

Opposing Views reports that Eloise Lampton, born on November 1 via Caesarean section, became infected with the herpes simplex virus and died 24 days later. Doctors had no other explanation for the baby girl’s illness. She died in the arms of her mother, Sarah Pugh, and father, Douglas Lampton.

The Daily Mail covers the story in more detail.

Eloise’s family noticed something was terribly wrong when they brought her home, and realized she wasn’t acting like a typical baby. She never cried and wanted to sleep all the time, Pugh reveals. The doctor at first thought it might be a feeding issue.

A week later, the infant lost two pounds and her health began to decline. The girl was taken to the hospital and hooked up to machines, but doctors warned the fearful couple that their newborn daughter may not live through the night. Pugh shares that everything occurred so fast.

“It all happened so quickly, like within hours. She was in the hospital and we thought she was fine, then that night we were told she might not survive the night. The machine fully took over her whole body. It went into her arteries to pump blood. It took over her organs to let her little body have a rest.”

Eloise’s parents were told she caught the herpes virus. It shocked the couple, since both have tested negative for the virus. They believed that someone with a cold sore who had been in close contact with her had to be the culprit for her condition. The doctor surmised that an individual with a cold sore kissed the baby in order for it to be passed on to her. Pugh and Lampton say they didn’t have visitors at the hospital after their daughter’s birth.

According to the report, Eloise showed signs of progress throughout her treatment five times, but in the end caught a staph infection that shut down her organs.

“They took the tubes out of her and we got to nurse her until she passed away,” Pugh says. “It was lovely to nurse her in that time.”

A newborn that dies from a kiss because of a cold sore is rarely heard of in the news. It certainly underscores how fragile new life is.

[Image via Daily News]