Pediatric Herpes

Herpes affects up to one-third of children with low socioeconomic status.

Herpes simplex is a virus that affects people of all ages. Dr. Swetha G. Pinninti, in her article, "Herpes Simplex Virus Infection," reports that "one-third of children from lower socioeconomic populations have serologic evidence of herpes simplex virus disease by age 5 years compared with 20 percent of middle-class individuals." She attributes that statistic to crowded living conditions and increased personal contact. Herpes symptoms can range from lesions to general infections, according to Pinninti.

Types

According to the pediatric and other health experts at DrGreene.com, two types of herpes exist: Type I often manifests itself in the mouth with what most people call cold sores, but it can also affect the eyes and skin in areas above the waist; type II affects the genital area.

Transmission

Because herpes simplex II affects the genital area, if a mother has the virus, it can be transmitted to her newborn infant. DrGreene.com reports that between one-third to one-half of babies born vaginally to mothers who experienced their first episode of herpes simplex II late in pregnancy contract the virus. However, the site reports that most babies born with herpes weren't born from mothers who had the virus.

Herpes is spread through contact with the blisters or ulcers (or via contact with oral or genital secretions during sex). So due to the close personal contact in daycare facilities, contracting some form of herpes in childhood is fairly common, according to DrGreene.com.

Symptoms

Herpes simplex I is the most common. According to DrGreene.com, it manifests itself as ulcers in or around the mouth, for which the medical term is stomatitis. These ulcers can be painful and often come with fever and loss of appetite. Recurrent infections result in what are often called cold sores, lesions on the edge of the lips next to the skin of the face. According to Pinninti, the first episode of herpes in children aged 6 months to 5 years is usually acute herpetic gingivostomatitis, evidenced by sores around the mouth. Herpes also can result in infection of the eye, in eczema patches and on the tips of the fingers. Herpes simplex II causes lesions in the genital area.

Newborns with herpes can experience infections in their organs, even their brains. Pinninti reports that almost one-third of infants with neonatal herpes have encephalitis. This usually shows itself as early as 2 or 3 weeks of age. Symptoms include irritability, lethargy and focal seizures. This is a serious disease and must be treated to avoid permanent neurological damage or even death.

Duration

Herpes is a virus with staying power. DrGreene.com reports that, once infected, the person has the virus for life. However, its symptoms come and go. The blisters of an outbreak typically heal within 10 days.

Triggers

Those with the herpes virus often experience outbreaks during the summer or when the temperature is high, or when they are ill, have a fever or are experiencing other changes within their bodies.

Diagnosis

Doctors can generally diagnose herpes by talking with a patient and examining any lesions. However, lab tests do exist to confirm the virus.

Prevention

Herpes in newborns can sometimes be prevented. A mother with herpes should discuss it with her obstetrician to take measures to avoid transmitting the virus to her newborn. A Cesarean section birth, if done within four hours of the water breaking, can lessen the risk of transmission to a newborn, reports DrGreene.com, as can prescribed medicine.

References

• Dr. Greene: Herpes Simplex
• EMedicine: Herpes Simplex Virus Infection