Our little boy was killed by the cold sore virus herpes simplex

GRIEF-STRICKEN parents have spoken of their heartbreak after their nine-day-old son died from a common cold sore virus.

Louise Foster and Danny Harvey were over the moon when Riley was born.

But their joy turned to tragedy when he suddenly stopped breathing.

Louise, 20, said the baby was “perfectly fine” when he was born on May 8.

But, when he was three days old, she discovered small blisters on the back of his head.

She was told they could have been caused by suction equipment after she needed help during the birth.

She was also concerned that Riley seemed to be having trouble breathing, but was told not to worry.

Louise was feeding Riley, her first baby, when suddenly he went limp in her arms.

“She turned round and said he’d stopped breathing,” said delivery driver Danny, 21.

“I checked him and I couldn’t find a pulse.”

The frantic parents immediately dialled 999.

The emergency operator talked Danny through how to carry out CPR on Riley until the ambulance arrived at their home in Oxford Road, Clacton.

Distraught Louise followed the ambulance to Colchester General Hospital in a police car. However, doctors were unable to save the youngster.

“They were trying to breath for him, but there was no oxygen in his blood,” said Louise. “That’s when they stopped.

“It was devastating – just horrible.”

Tests last week revealed Riley had caught the herpes simplex 1 virus, a common cause of cold sores.

It is very rare in newborn babies, affecting just one in 10,000 in the UK.

But it can be a killer, attacking the heart, liver and lungs.

The virus can be caught from anyone who comes into contact with a baby.

Danny said: “I was so chuffed when Riley was born – he was brilliant.

“He looked like us and had thick black hair.

“The only thing we were concerned about was his breathing and the little blisters, but the midwife reassured us it was all fine so we stopped worrying."

Danny added: “Riley was only here for nine days, but we’ve got about 100 photos of him.

“It was the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through.”

The couple hope their tragedy will help others spot the infection before it is too late.

“Six babies a year die of the infection, but that’s six too many,” said Louise.