Shocking photo reveals the devastating reality of strangers kissing your child – after boy’s eye turned GREEN
A MUM has revealed the shocking consequences of strangers kissing your child, after her little boy contracted a devastating virus from a peck that bore a hole into his eye and turned it green.
Juwan Saaiman, 2, lost sight in his left eye after a herpes blister started growing in his eye in August last year.
His mum Michelle at first assumed Juwan had a harmless eye infection and took him to the doctor, where he was given antibiotics.
“Two days later, we noticed that there was something seriously wrong with the eye,” she wrote in post shared to Facebook.
“It looked like something was growing inside his eyeball, which was not there the day before.
“We realised that he had no feeling in his eye, as he literally put his finger in his eye, scratching his eyeball, without even flinching.”
After a number of tests, Juwan’s parents were told he had developed a cold sore, caused by the herpes simplex virus, in his eye.
As the parents both tested negative for the virus, doctors believe someone with an active herpes cold sore in their mouth must have kissed the tot on or around his eye, passing on the virus.
Michelle explained: “The herpes virus could, most likely, only have been transferred by someone who had an active blister, kissing our baby on, or close to the eye, or on his hand — which he later touched his eye with.”
She warned others about the dangers of seemingly harmless pecks: “I feel it necessary to make people understand why you should not kiss someone’s baby.
“This is something that I’ve read a thousand times, but we’ve never really been too bothered about it – I mean, what’s the worst that can happen, right?
“Wrong. I was so wrong.”
The herpes simplex virus is a common infection that can cause painful blisters or ulcers and primarily spreads through skin-to-skin contact.
It’s most commonly associated with cold sores, but it can also cause blisters in the genital area too.
Most people only get mild symptoms or no symptoms at all from infection, but they can suffer from painful ulcers that recur over time.
Medicines can reduce symptoms but can’t eradicate the virus.
Doctors struggled to get the virus in Juwan’s eye under control for several weeks and had to consult experts in New York to get hold of the right medicine.
During that time his parents Michelle and Neels were terrified the herpes would spread to his brain or other eye.
By the time the herpes was in remission, it had ravaged little Juwan’s eye.
Michelle told Metro: “The herpes just caused so much damage to his cornea that he essentially just lost all feeling in the eye and he could not see anything. He was completely blind.
“It meant the brain did not recognise the eye anymore and stopped sending signals to the eye.
“The gel later protecting the eye evaporated and the eye dried out.”
Due to this loss of lubrication, Juwan’s eye began to melt away and a hole opened up in his eye.
Michelle said: “It’s the most traumatic experience to look at your baby, and literally see a 4mm open wound in his eye, which is so clearly visible.”
‘Long road ahead’
The herpes virus can never be totally eradicated. Once it’s in someone’s system, it remains dormant and can flare up every now and again – which is exactly what happened to Juwan.
The tot battled multiple infections and Michelle fears that if the wound in his eye doesn’t heal, he will lose his eye completely.
In order to save Juwan’s sight, his parents- who live in Namibia – flew him to see a paediatric ophthalmologist in Cape Town.
The two-year-old underwent the first of three surgeries in January.
The second surgery involves harvesting nerves from his leg and implanting them into his eye to restore the a connection to his brain
If that procedure is successful, this would make him eligible for a cornea transplant to restore his sight, provided that a suitable donor can be found.
How to protect yourself from cold sores
The herpes simplex virus type 1 is best known as the villain behind the dreaded cold sore.
When it’s not triggering eruptions of ugly crusty sores on the mouth, it takes refuge in the bundle of nerves that run through the face.
And it’s very common.
Roughly 70 per cent of Brits harbour lifelong infections of HSV-1 – largely without any nasty flair-ups – which are typically harmless.
However, in some cases, HSV-1 can do far more than stop people from wanting to kiss or share cups with you for a few weeks.
“Cold sores might seem like just a minor annoyance, but they can actually lead to some serious health issues,” Dr Anil Sharma, a medical doctor at Sharma Skin & Hair Surgery, tells The Sun.
HSV-1 can infect the eye and sometimes lead to blindness. In rare cases, it can also cause encephalitis or be fatal to babies whose immune system is not fully developed.
Here are Dr Anil Sharma’s top tips for preventing the spread of the herpes and reducing your risk of catching it:
“To lower your risk of these complications, it’s important to practice good hygiene, avoid touching your cold sore, and not share personal items.
“If you have a weakened immune system — like if you’re undergoing chemotherapy or other immunosuppressive treatments — you should talk to your doctor about extra precautions you can take.
“If you notice any worrying symptoms, such as increasing eye pain, changes in your vision, or severe neurological issues, don’t hesitate to seek medical help right away.
“While most cold sores are mild, being aware of the potential risks and taking steps to protect your health is crucial.”
“Our baby’s eyelids are stitched closed, to protect the eye, but I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be for him,” Michelle said.
“Whether any vision can ever be restored, is unknown at this stage, but we have made peace with the fact that he could very well be permanently blind in his left eye.
“Our main priority at this stage is just to save the eye itself and to prevent further infections.
“The moral of the story – don’t let anyone kiss your baby. Such a silly virus caused so much trauma and damage, it’s just not worth it!”
Juwan’s parents have so far spent thousands of dollars on treatment for their son and had to take extensive time off work, so they set up a fundraiser to help cover some of their expenses.
“Juwan and his parents have a long, traumatising and expensive road ahead of them,” Elise Myburgh, the tot’s grandmother wrote on the page.