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Dublin Live
8 hours ago
- Health
- Dublin Live
Mum warns never to kiss babies on lips as son left with life-changing injuries
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An Irish mother is sending out an urgent plea to the public to refrain from kissing babies, sharing the harrowing experience of her own son contracting the herpes simplex virus through a cold sore. Jed Scanlon, now three years old, was taken to the hospital urgently by his parents Amanda, 39, and David, 40, after he started running a high fever. Doctors at the hospital diagnosed the young lad with herpes simplex and encephalitis, reports the Irish Mirror. The virus has tragically left Jed with severe learning difficulties due to its attack on his brain. Amanda, from Derry, said that before his illness, Jed was excelling and surpassing his developmental milestones until the age of six months. She said: "When he was diagnosed, I didn't realise the complications he was going to be left with. The virus attacked his brain instead of the immune system and left him with an acquired brain injury. "He has significant brain damage to his temple lobes and a rare form of epilepsy caused by the damage. They didn't know if he'd be able to walk or talk. (Image: Jam Press/@jedsjourney) "We were absolutely devastated. We couldn't believe it. We were in shock. I knew cold sores were dangerous but I didn't know the extent to leave someone with brain damage." The little boy experiences seizures every night and cannot speak. Medical professionals are tirelessly working to manage Jed's seizures but remain uncertain about what lies ahead in his future. Jed is currently receiving occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy treatments. His mother Amanda, who works as a hospital housekeeper, said: "Before this, he was thriving. (Image: Jam Press/@jedsjourney) "He was rolling over, he was meeting all his milestones and he was so smart. Jed could give me a high five at five-months-old which is amazing. "When he was diagnosed, it wasn't a great prognosis. They hadn't met any cases like Jed and they didn't have a great outlook on his life. "He has development delays and he's non verbal. We don't know what his future looks like. He can walk and finger feed himself. Jed is full of life and he's constantly up to mischief. You need eyes on the back of your head to watch him." Amanda shares Jed's journey on her TikTok page Jedsjourney, aiming to raise awareness about the risks associated with kissing newborns. She added: "I want to raise awareness of how dangerous cold sores can actually be. "Don't kiss anyone's baby even if you don't have a cold sore, especially not on the lips. It never crossed my mind not to let people kiss him, I just made people wash their hands but cold sores never came into my head. "We don't remember Jed being around anyone with a cold sore but you don't need to be able to see the coldsore to have the virus. Once you get the virus it lives dormant and can flare up any time. "Me and David don't get cold sores and never have. We try not to dwell on where he picked it up from because it won't achieve much. Babies could also get the virus from someone sneezing or coughing around him. You have to be really careful." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mum's warning to never to kiss babies on lips after bug leaves son brain damaged
An Irish mum has warned people never to kiss babies after her son contracted herpes simplex from a cold sore. Jed Scanlon was rushed to hospital by parents Amanda, 39, and David, 40, after he came down with a high temperature. Medics diagnosed the three-year-old with herpes simplex and encephalitis. Jed has been left with severe learning difficulties after the virus attacked his brain. Amanda, from Derry, said he was thriving and ahead of his milestones until he was six months old. She added: 'When he was diagnosed, I didn't realise the complications he was going to be left with. 'The virus attacked his brain instead of the immune system and left him with an acquired brain injury. 'He has significant brain damage to his temple lobes and a rare form of epilepsy caused by the damage. 'They didn't know if he'd be able to walk or talk. We were absolutely devastated. We couldn't believe it. We were in shock. 'I knew cold sores were dangerous but I didn't know the extent to leave someone with brain damage.' The tot has seizures every night and is non verbal. Doctors are trying to control Jed's seizures but they can't determine what his future will look like. Jed has occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. Hospital housekeeper Amanda said: 'Before this, he was thriving. 'He was rolling over, he was meeting all his milestones and he was so smart. Jed could give me a high five at five-months-old which is amazing. 'When he was diagnosed, it wasn't a great prognosis. They hadn't met any cases like Jed and they didn't have a great outlook on his life. 'He has development delays and he's non verbal. We don't know what his future looks like. 'He can walk and finger feed himself. Jed is full of life and he's constantly up to mischief. 'You need eyes on the back of your head to watch him.' Amanda documents Jed's story on her TikTok page Jedsjourney to raise awareness of the dangers of kissing newborns. She added: 'I want to raise awareness of how dangerous cold sores can actually be. 'Don't kiss anyone's baby even if you don't have a cold sore, especially not on the lips. 'It never crossed my mind not to let people kiss him, I just made people wash their hands but cold sores never came into my head. 'We don't remember Jed being around anyone with a cold sore but you don't need to be able to see the coldsore to have the virus. 'Once you get the virus it lives dormant and can flare up any time. 'Me and David don't get cold sores and never have. 'We try not to dwell on where he picked it up from because it won't achieve much. 'Babies could also get the virus from someone sneezing or coughing around him. You have to be really careful.'
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
'My son became brain damaged after someone kissed him'
A mother from Londonderry has cautioned others to avoid kissing babies after her son contracted herpes simplex from a cold sore and was diagnosed with brain damage. Jed Scanlon was taken to the hospital by his parents, Amanda, 39, and David, 40, after he developed a high fever. Doctors said the three-year-old had contracted herpes simplex and encephalitis. As a result of the virus affecting his brain, Jed now faces significant learning challenges. Amanda is urging parents to prevent anyone from kissing newborns and to ensure that hands are washed before holding them. She said he was thriving and ahead of his milestones until he was six months old. "When he was diagnosed, I didn't realise how serious it was and the complications he was going to be left with," Amanda, from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, told Need to Know. "They knew that the virus had attacked his brain instead of the immune system and left him with an acquired brain injury. He has significant brain damage to his temporal lobes and a rare form of epilepsy caused by the damage. They didn't know if he'd be able to walk or talk." Amanda and David say they've been left absolutely devastated. "We couldn't believe it," she added. "We were in shock. I knew cold sores were dangerous but I didn't know the extent to leave someone with brain damage." The baby has seizures every night and is non-verbal. Doctors are trying to control Jed's seizures, but they can't determine what his future will look like. Jed has occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. Hospital housekeeper Amanda said: "Before this, he was thriving. He was rolling over, he was meeting all his milestones, and he was so smart. Jed could give me a high five at five months old, which is amazing. When he was diagnosed, it wasn't a great prognosis. "They hadn't met any cases like Jed, and they didn't have a great outlook on his life. He has development delays and he's non verbal. We don't know what his future looks like. He can walk and finger feed himself. Jed is full of life, and he's constantly up to mischief. 'You need eyes on the back of your head to watch him." Amanda documents Jed's story on her TikTok page, Jedsjourney, to raise awareness of the dangers of kissing newborns. She added: "I want to raise awareness of how dangerous cold sores can actually be. Don't kiss anyone's baby, even if you don't have a cold sore, especially not on the lips. "It never crossed my mind not to let people kiss him, I just made people wash their hands but cold sores never came into my head. We don't remember Jed being around anyone with a cold sore, but you don't need to be able to see the cold sore to have the virus. Once you get the virus it lives dormant and can flare up any time." Amanda says she and David don't get cold sores and never have. She continued: "We try not to dwell on where he picked it up from because it won't achieve much. Babies could also get the virus from someone sneezing or coughing around him. You have to be really careful." Neonatal herpes refers to a herpes infection occurring in an infant. The younger the infant, the more susceptible they are to the detrimental impacts of the infection. Herpes can pose significant risks for a young baby, as their immune system has not yet fully matured to combat the virus. In the UK, neonatal herpes is uncommon and is triggered by the herpes simplex virus. This virus is widespread and is responsible for cold sores and genital ulcers in adults. By adhering to some straightforward guidelines, neonatal herpes can be avoided. The NHS says: "Because newborn babies have underdeveloped immune systems, they can quickly become seriously ill after catching the virus". Call a GP or contact 111 straight away if your baby: These are early warning signs that your baby may be unwell. Call emergency services immediately if your baby: The NHS adds: "Very often the baby will not have any specific herpes symptoms, such as a rash. But they can become unwell very quickly, so you need to act fast."
