A 12-day-old girl died after contracting the common cold sore virus in hospital days after birth.
Eibhlín Wills acquired the infection in the first five days of her life, an inquest into her death heard.
Blood tests showed no sign of the infection three days after birth but the infection was present in samples taken when Eibhlín was five days old.
Dublin Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane found the infant died due to a hospital-acquired infection.
The family described the loss of their precious baby as an “unspeakable horror”.
“For the past three years we have had to live with the unspeakable horror of losing our baby girl to an entirely preventable disease.
“While it has been extremely painful to go through the details again … today’s verdict gives us the opportunity to again warn the public and especially the families of newborns and those caring for them, of the potential danger of the common cold sore virus,” Eibhlín’s father, John Wills said.
The coroner recommended that the Minister for Health include neonatal herpes as a formally notifiable disease and endorsed and commended the Wills family’s efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of neonatal herpes.
Tallaght Solicitors are specialist solicitors in relation to Medical Negligence, so if you have been affected by this issue, please visit our Medical Negligence page.
Source: RTE