A MUM has warned parents of the dangers of adults kissing their children after her little girl was left with a nasty virus.
Leah Green shared a photo of her baby girl covered in blistering cold sores.
She said her daughter was kissed on the lips by an adult, who transferred the virus to her at 21 months of age.
Photos show the crying youngster with sores on her lips, on the insides of her mouth and tongue.
The mum, whose photos were shared by the Instagram account @tinyheartseducation, said: “Listen & learn from my first hand experience why you shouldn’t kiss babies/kids, especially if they aren’t yours!!!
I want to help young primary pupils with their warring parents
“When Sadie was approx 21 months old, she was kissed by an adult on the lips, transferring the horrendous cold sore virus.
“She got two small spots on her lip then spiked a temp of 39 [degrees Celsius].
"Within hours the spots were spreading across her face and white spots formed in her mouth, which turned into this awful puss like stuff that was especially behind her teeth.
“The slightest touch would make the spots bleed and she would scream in agony.
“This meant she couldn’t eat or drink resulting in weight loss and dehydration.
“She was absolutely miserable and stuck to my hip for four days straight! Just attempting to put her down made her scream!
“We went to the Dr to get cream for the spots on her lip but it really was a waiting game for it to clear up.
“Being first time parents and seeing your child in so much pain was horrific. It was a very very long 3 weeks so I hope I can help people by spreading awareness!”
The mum finished by warning: “Please please please DON'T kiss or let anyone kiss your babies.
“Doesn’t matter who they are or if you think they will be offended. Hurt their feelings and keep your babies safe!”
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The herpes simplex virus, which causes both cold sores and geintal ulcers in adults, is highly contagious.
Cold sores spread through close contact, such as kissing, and may be passed through shared objects like cutlery.
The NHS says: “Cold sores are contagious from the moment you first feel tingling or other signs of a cold sore coming on to when the cold sore has completely healed.
“Cold sores take time to heal and they're very contagious, especially when the blisters burst.”
In adults, the herpes virus is also spread through oral sex.
When a child gets a cold sore for the first time, the blisters can spread through the mouth and gums.
They may experience a fever, sore throat, irritability and drool.
The herpes virus remains in the body for the rest of life, causing recurring attacks.
But many people live with it without ever showing symptoms.
Herpes can be dangerous to newborn babies in particular because they have yet to build an immune system.
Called neonatal herpes, it is very rare in the UK but can devastatingly lead to death if the virus spreads to the baby’s organs.
The NHS says: “A baby is most at risk of getting a herpes infection in the first four weeks after birth.
“You should not kiss a baby if you have a cold sore to reduce the risk of spreading infection.”
Some people commented on Leah's post to warn parents that hand, foot and mouth disease can cause similar symptoms.
Typical signs are a sore throat, high temperature and lack of appetite, with mouth ulcers and a rash appearing a few days later.
