Juwan’s eye had to be stitched closed due to complications from the infection (Picture: Michelle Saaiman)
A mother ‘thought it was April Fool’s Day’ when a doctor said her baby had contracted herpes in the eye from a kiss.
Michelle Saaiman’s two-year-old Juwan lost his sight when a herpes cold sore started growing in his eye seven months ago.
Complications from the infection saw the child almost lose his eye entirely and he is now waiting for a complex eye operation to save it.
Medical experts believe someone with an active herpes cold sore in their mouth must have kissed Juwan on or around his eye.
Last August, the then 16-month-old developed an apparent eye infection which antibiotic drops were not helping.
When the infection got worse, a specialist eventually gave the puzzling diagnosis that Juwan had herpes simplex virus (HSV) in his eye.
Michelle, 36 from Namibia, told Metro: ‘The doctor was telling me there’s a fever blister growing in my child’s cornea.
‘I was literally looking at the doctor wondering whether it’s April 1, because I thought it was an April Fool’s joke.
‘A fever blister is supposed to be on your lips or in your mouth.
‘I’ve never in my life heard of a fever blister growing on someone’s cornea.’
For weeks doctors struggled to get the fever blister in Juwan’s eye under control and had to consult experts in New York to procure the right medicine.
During that time his parents Michelle and Neels were terrified the herpes would spread to his brain or other eye.
By the time the medication had an effect on the herpes, it was too late to save Juwan’s eye.
Michelle said: ‘By that time the herpes just caused so much damage to his cornea that he essentially just lost all feeling in the eye and he could not see anything. He was completely blind.
‘It meant the brain did not recognise the eye anymore and stopped sending signals to the eye.
‘The gel later protecting the eye evaporated and the eye dried out.’
Juwan’s eye began to melt away due to this loss of lubrication and a four millimeter hole opened up in his eye.
His parents now have to battle constant eye infections where the open hole was, and doctors said he was at risk of losing his eye completely.
In order to save Juwan’s eyes, the parents flew with him to specialists in Cape Town.
There, the 2-year-old underwent amnion graft surgery to heal his cornea, and his eye lids were stitched together.
The Namibian family will return to South Africa in April for the ‘big big operation’ to transfer nerves from his leg to his eye.
If that is successful he will be able to get a cornea transport next year to save his eye entirely.
Mum-of-three Michelle said: ‘Juwan is such a trooper, he’s really just always had a smile on his face. But he was in severe pain.
‘It is not fair for such a tiny human to go through all that.’
Juwan’s parents, who do not carry herpes in their blood, have been left emotionally drained and conflicted by the knowledge the devastating herpes virus was transferred by a kiss.
‘Initially we were really, really angry,’ the attorney said.
‘Both my husband and myself, we were just angry with whoever was so selfish to kiss my child in his face with an active fever blister.
‘Kisses come from a place of love. So whoever gave him this, I’m sure it wasn’t done intentionally or not with any idea to do him harm.