Mother's kiss may have killed baby

A mother whose baby girl died shortly after her birth has said she was devastated to learn she may have passed on a deadly infection to her daughter through kisses.

Ruth Schofield's baby Jennifer was just 11 days old when her vital organs failed and she died in hospital.

She had been infected by Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) passed on by her mother, Ruth, either by kissing or breastfeeding, an inquest was told.



Miss Schofield said she did not have the words to describe the shock of her new-born daughter's death. "It was soul destroying," she said. "I don't want any family to have to go through the devastation I have."

Lancaster coroner Dr James Adeley said Miss Schofield, 35, of Lancaster, probably caught HSV in the late stages of pregnancy.

But he said no-one could be blamed for failing to identify the virus and recorded a narrative verdict.