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Is Herpes Life Threatening In A 6 Month Old Baby?
Question: Hi i have herpes an im really scared my 6 month old baby might catch it as iv heard tragic stories. Could you tell me what age does a child have to be when its no longer life threatening?
Brief Answer:
Life threatening below one year age
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing in to us.
I have read through your query in detail.
If you are herpes positive and have been in contact with your child then there is a likelihood of transmission to your baby.
Medical literature says that primary infection with HSV-1 or HSV-2 in childhood is asymptomatic in 88 to 99 percent of patients. When symptomatic, patients generally present with gingivostomatitis (mouth blisters). A genital primary herpes infection is very uncommon, with few cases reported in the literature. It can affect other parts of the body like brain.
From the above we see that the maternal antibodies protect the child for the first 6 months of life and the age of onset ranges between 6 months and 4 years.
The mortality rate of Herpes in childhood in developed countries is 0.05 per 100,000 children, a very low figure and most of them occur under 1 year of age.
Hope your query is answered.
Please write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Life threatening below one year age
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing in to us.
I have read through your query in detail.
If you are herpes positive and have been in contact with your child then there is a likelihood of transmission to your baby.
Medical literature says that primary infection with HSV-1 or HSV-2 in childhood is asymptomatic in 88 to 99 percent of patients. When symptomatic, patients generally present with gingivostomatitis (mouth blisters). A genital primary herpes infection is very uncommon, with few cases reported in the literature. It can affect other parts of the body like brain.
From the above we see that the maternal antibodies protect the child for the first 6 months of life and the age of onset ranges between 6 months and 4 years.
The mortality rate of Herpes in childhood in developed countries is 0.05 per 100,000 children, a very low figure and most of them occur under 1 year of age.
Hope your query is answered.
Please write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
I dont understand? If my child was to actch the cold sore virus at 6 months of age is it still dangerous? I obviously try my best to keep her clear from this but just want to know
Brief Answer:
Dangerous from 6 months to 1 year of age
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing back with an update.
It is unclear if you were infected with herpes before your child was born or you got to know about it only recently.
Whatever be the situation, as per reports 88 - 99 percent DO NOT get symptoms if infected and almost NEVER in the first six months of life.
Still there is 1 percent chance that your baby might show symptoms and they are usually serious if seen in children below one year of age.
In other words, the age from 6 months to 1 year is dangerous for children to catch a cold sore.
Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.
Hope your query is answered.
Please write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Dangerous from 6 months to 1 year of age
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing back with an update.
It is unclear if you were infected with herpes before your child was born or you got to know about it only recently.
Whatever be the situation, as per reports 88 - 99 percent DO NOT get symptoms if infected and almost NEVER in the first six months of life.
Still there is 1 percent chance that your baby might show symptoms and they are usually serious if seen in children below one year of age.
In other words, the age from 6 months to 1 year is dangerous for children to catch a cold sore.
Please feel free to correct any oversight in my interpretation of your problems and discuss them in detail as per your requirements.
Hope your query is answered.
Please write back if you have any doubts.
Regards,
Dr.Vivek
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
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