// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'We didn't know a cold sore could kill a baby'
Ben Brookes and Meg Edmonds want to raise awareness of HSV and the danger it can pose to new babies
A bereaved mother whose newborn daughter died after contracting the herpes simplex virus (HSV) is urging other parents to learn about the little-known dangers cold sores can pose to babies.
For most adults, cold sores are usually a painful but common infection. But in newborn babies, whose immune systems are not yet fully developed, HSV can cause a life-threatening illness.
Meg Edmonds' daughter, Magnolia, died aged just 10 days in February and it is suspected the virus may have been passed on by her mother.
"The guilt is obviously unbearable, it's horrific, but I just try and remind myself that I didn't know and I did what I could have done with the knowledge that I did have," she said.
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing
She has decided to speak publicly as part of an infection prevention campaign run by the Lullaby Trust, a charity which promotes infant health.
The 22-year-old, from Rugeley in Staffordshire, said Magnolia was born healthy after what she described as a straightforward birth.
"I had a lovely birth with her, a water birth. She was nearly two weeks overdue like her big sister but everything was fine and she was born perfectly healthy," she said.
Meg said she later realised a sore visible on her lip might have been her first cold sore