Parents launch campaign after baby dies from cold sore virus

The parents of a 12-day-old baby who died after she contracted the common cold sore virus have launched an awareness campaign “so other parents do not have to go through the same heart break”.

John and Louise Wills on Wednesday launched rememberingeibhlin.org which advises people not to kiss a baby if they have a cold sore and not to visit a new baby if they are sick.

Her parents told Keelin Shanley on RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke show that baby Eibhlin died when she was 12-days-old. There had been no indication she was unwell before that. The day before she died she had been clingy but was not in pain or distress and seemed to "have a sniffle".

She deteriorated quickly and despite the efforts of medical staff when brought to hospital she died the following day.

Cot death was immediately ruled out and within days the post mortem results indicated that she had died after she contracted the common cold sore virus.

Mr Wills explained: “In 90 per cent of cases the virus is transferred from mother to baby, but Louise was cleared. It came from another adult. The heel prick test taken when she was still in the hospital indicated that she had contracted it in the hospital. In the place where she should have been safest.

“We don’t know exactly when she got it, we just know it was shortly after birth. It came from someone within the hospital.”

Mrs Wills added: “We don’t want to scaremonger. We just want people to be aware and to be careful with cold sores.

“Awareness needs to be heightened.”

Both parents said that setting up the organisation had been cathartic.