DON’T kiss the baby – doctors reveal terrifying reason why you should never kiss a newborn (unless it’s yours)

When confronted with the angelic smile of a friend’s newborn baby, it’s tempting to shower his or her adorable face with kisses.

But don’t do that, because doctors say that kissing a young child who is not yours can be fatal to the child.

Dr. Karan Rajan has warned his 5.3 million TikTok followers that our faces and mouths are full of millions of microscopic bacteria and viruses that can easily be transmitted to a newborn baby.

While adults and older children have fully developed immune systems, meaning insects cause little more than a cold, this does not apply to young babies under three months of age.

A baby’s immune system is still ‘training’ to fend off foreign invaders and although they may have built up some defense against bacteria and viruses on their parents’ faces, they will not be equipped to fight off the invaders they encounter. have just been exposed.

It means that a bacteria or virus spread by a visitor can cross the blood-brain barrier, leading to life-threatening complications.

The NHS surgeon issued the warning following a video of a woman seen sticking cling film to her face as she desperately wants to kiss her newborn niece.

But Dr. Raj said it’s much safer to avoid kissing altogether; his clip has already been viewed 3.2 million times.

Dr. Karan Raj warned his 5.3 million followers on TikTok that even diseases that don’t harm older children and adults can be fatal in newborns

The NHS surgeon revealed the terrifying reason in response to a video showing a ‘fun hack’ in which a woman puts cling film on her face as she ‘desperately wants to kiss her newborn niece’

“These little gremlins have an immune system that is undergoing a software update,” said Dr. Raj. ‘They are still very immature and they are more susceptible to infections.

This means, for example,ven infections that cause mild symptoms in older children and adults, such as the coldcan be life-threatening for newborns.’

Dr. Raj even goes so far as to suggest that family members and friends wait two to three months until the baby’s immune system is stronger before scheduling their visits.

It is believed that the benefits of a single kiss from a parent can outweigh the risks, provided the parent is free of infections such as sniffles or cold sores.

This is because the physical bond with the parents is essential for the baby’s development, and the risk of them being carriers of pathogens to which the baby has yet to be exposed is reduced.

Experts have previously warned that some viral infections, which can be transmitted through kissing, can lead to young children developing potentially serious complications such as pneumonia.

Dr. Muriel Meso, a pediatrician and endocrinologist at Portland Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare UK in London, told MailOnline that while adults can get it simply through sniffles, coughing or fever, babies can be hit much harder.

She gave the example of cold sores, caused by the herpes simplex virus, which often “goes away spontaneously” in adults, without the help of over-the-counter antiviral creams.

But in newborns, the virus can spread to the brain, causing seizures and spinal cord damage.

The same goes for chickenpox: dehydration, inflammation of the brain and other organs, including the kidneys, are all possible complications of chickenpox in newborns.

“If left untreated, they can develop complications such as pneumonia and other serious secondary infections,” says Dr. Meso.