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.
