Neonatal herpes (herpes in a newborn baby)
A newborn babyis at risk of catching herpes ifthe mother had genital herpes for the first time within the last six weeks of her pregnancy.
There's a risk the mother will have passed the infection on to her baby if she had a vaginal delivery.
This risk is much lower if the mother has had genital herpes before.
Learn more aboutthe risks of genital herpes and pregnancy .
The herpes simplex virus can also be passed on to a newborn baby if:
Cold sores are at their most contagious when they burst (rupture). They remain contagious until completely healed.
NHS Choices information on neonatal herpes (herpes in newborn babies), with links to other useful resources.
During pregnancy and labour A newborn babyis at risk of catching herpes ifthe mother had genital herpes for the first time within the last six weeks of her pregnancy. There's a risk the mother will
Because newborn babies have underdeveloped immune systems, they can quickly become seriously ill after catching the virus. A newbornbaby infected with herpes may: become lacking in energy (listless
Contact your GPor midwife as soon as possible if your baby has any of the above symptoms and you're worried. You may be advised to take your baby to your nearest accident and emergency department . N
Sometimes neonatal herpes will only affect the baby's eyes, mouth or skin. In these cases, most babies will make a complete recovery with antiviral treatment. However, the condition is much more seri
If you're pregnant and have a history of genital herpes, tell your doctor or midwife.You may need to take medication during thelast month of pregnancy to prevent an outbreak of vaginal sores during la
You may find these resources helpful: Cold sores Genital herpes Sands World Health Organization (WHO): herpes simplex virus