How serious is herpes for a baby?

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 serious if it has spread to the baby's organs.Nearly a third of infants with this type of neonatal herpes will die, even after they've been treated.

If widespread herpes is nottreated immediately, there's a high chance the baby will die.

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018