Kissing is one way to express love, especially in Western societies where parents often kiss their children to show affection. Despite newborn infants retaining antibodies from their mothers in their blood for the first 6 months after birth, their immune system is not fully developed, leaving them vulnerable to infections. Microbiologists have explained the reasons behind this.
Senior lecturer in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester, Primrose Freestone, wrote in an article on The Conversation website that as a clinical microbiologist, she believes everyone should know that it is inappropriate for anyone to kiss a newborn baby. However, not everyone is aware of this fact.
A charity organization in the UK called The Lullaby Trust revealed in a survey last year that 54% of new and expectant parents allow friends and family to kiss newborn babies without realizing the serious risk of infection.
Dr. Karan Raj, a doctor at the UK National Health Service (NHS) and a social media influencer, recently warned on social media about the risks associated with kissing babies.
But why is kissing babies dangerous?
Freestone explained that newborns have not yet developed a fully mature immune system right after birth, making them more susceptible to severe infections.
In the first three months or so after birth, infants have fewer innate immune cells such as neutrophils and monocytes compared to adults. This means that an infection that would only cause mild symptoms in adults or older children could be life-threatening for infants.
An example of this is a herpes simplex virus infection. While a herpes infection may result in cold sores in adults, infants can become seriously ill shortly after contracting the virus.
If the herpes infection only affects the infant’s eyes, mouth, or skin, most babies will recover after treatment. However, if the virus spreads throughout the body and affects the infant’s organs, the infection can become more severe and potentially fatal.
Freestone emphasized that newborns, especially within the first four weeks after birth, are more vulnerable to herpes infection.
Furthermore, newborns are more susceptible to infections from pathogenic bacteria, particularly intracellular bacteria like Group B Streptococcus (GBS), than older children and adults.
While GBS bacteria usually reside in the host’s gastrointestinal and reproductive tracts without causing disease, an infant’s infection with these bacteria can lead to sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections.
Infants are also susceptible to infections from Escherichia coli, causing pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis, which can have serious consequences, although E. coli is harmless to adults.
Freestone pointed out that parents should not feel uncomfortable asking visitors to refrain from kissing or touching their child. If they truly care about the baby’s health, they shouldn’t be offended by such a request.
If for any reason you cannot kiss a baby, you should take the following steps: First, thoroughly wash your hands. Second, avoid kissing the baby’s mouth or face but instead kiss their feet or the back of their head. Third, if you have a contagious illness, consider whether to visit the baby, especially if they are under a month old.
If you are feeling unwell but feel compelled to visit the baby, wear a mask and avoid close contact, especially if you have a respiratory illness.
Freestone urged people to remember that babies are highly susceptible to infections. Although kissing is a symbol of love, it can make newborns very ill. If such a situation were to occur, you would undoubtedly feel regretful.