Almost died because of a stranger's kiss

British baby Chloe suffered brain swelling and was left in critical condition after a friend of her parents visited and kissed her.

Baby Chloe Clare was just five days old when she fell critically ill with an unknown cause. Doctors even told her mother, Lynette, that her daughter would probably not survive after the deadly virus - linked to the common cold - caused Chloe to develop brain swelling.

"Kissing a newborn baby is completely normal because we just want to show our love and affection for them. So when the doctor said that Chloe's illness was caused by a virus from a cold through a kiss, I couldn't understand how something so simple could almost kill her," The Sun quoted the mother of four, living in Cheshire (UK), as saying.

The friend with a cold picked up Chloe and kissed her despite having a cold sore on her mouth, not knowing that he had passed the virus on to her. Photo: Mercucy Press

Lynette said she gave birth to baby Chloe at Warrington Hospital on 12 March 2013. Five days later, she took her back to the hospital for a screening test, which included a heel prick, and noticed her daughter’s sleep was a little different. Later that night, Lynette took Chloe to the emergency room because her temperature had reached 42C and her hands and feet were cold.

After being transferred to the intensive care unit, doctors told her that Chloe might not survive the night. A counselor discovered that Chloe had contracted the Herpes Simplex Virus (HPV-1) from a family friend who had come to visit and kissed her. The friend had had a cold a few days earlier.

Doctors immediately injected her with antiviral drugs. After three weeks in the hospital, she finally made a full recovery and returned home.

"None of the midwives in the maternity ward warned me about the risks of colds to newborns, I really had no idea it was so dangerous.

Chloe is now 3 years old but is not developing normally like children her age. Photo: Mercucy Press

Although Chloe, 3, is now quite healthy, doctors have diagnosed her with microcephaly. She also has difficulty speaking and has delayed motor milestones compared to other children.

"Parents need to know about this. I almost lost my daughter, and I don't want other parents to have to go through what I did on her first night in hospital," Lynette added.

According to Ngoisao.net