22/10/2026
With HSV (Herpes simplex Virus) in the news this week, we're sharing some information for breastfeeding mums and their families.
If you have any questions, please get in touch:
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If your baby seems unwell, always seek medical advice, and tell the healthcare professional if you or someone close to your baby has had a cold sore or HSV infection.
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[ID 1: Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and Breastfeeding]
[ID 2: A common sign of a Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) infection in adults is a cold sore around the mouth or nose, although it can also cause sores on other areas of the body, including the fingers, ge****ls and breasts.]
[ID 3: A baby with an HSV infection may not develop sores. But HSV infections in babies can be severe. If your baby seems unwell, always seek medical advice, and tell the healthcare professional if you or someone close to your baby has had a coldsore or HSV infection.]
[ID 4: If you have HSV you can continue to breastfeed if there are no lesions on the breasts, and if lesions elsewhere on the body are carefully and fully covered. If you have active lesions on your breast, you should temporarily stop breastfeeding from that side.]
[ID 5: Do not use expressed breastmilk from the affected breast - this should be discarded until the lesions have healed. You should also wash your hands and clean the breast pump parts thoroughly to avoid passing HSV on to your baby.]
[ID 6: You can breastfeed or feed expressed breastmilk from the unaffected breast, but you should ensure that the lesions on the affected breast and other affected areas are completely covered to avoid passing the infection on to your baby.]
[ID 7: Ask a healthcare professional to check if your lesions have healed and if it's ok for you to start breastfeeding or feeding expressed breastmilk from the affected breast again.]
[ID 8: Information from the NHS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.nhs.uk/conditions/neonatal-herpes/. http://www.cdc.gov/.../hcp/illnesses-conditions/herpes.html.]