Although her son is only 14 months old, Amy Stinton has learned that her baby has herpes — most likely from an innocent accident.

When Oliver broke out with a rash, his concerned mom originally thought that he had chicken pox. But when doctors told her that Oliver was actually suffering a herpes outbreak, Amy realized that he must've contracted the virus from being kissed by someone with a cold sore [1]. Little Ollie was hospitalized for four days [2] and will deal with recurring outbreaks for the rest of his life.

While Amy isn't blaming anyone for her baby's situation, she shared photos of his raw and blistering skin [3] as a warning to both parents and anyone who might be in contact with an infant: "Think before you kiss a baby next time."

Cold sores are a viral infection and are caused by the herpes simplex virus. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are two types of herpes simplex viruses [4], both of which can cause sores on your mouth or genitals, and are contagious even if you don't see the sores.

According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, this is a surprisingly common virus but once you have become infected, there is no cure. Eight in 10 Americans are HSV-1 carriers [5], according to the National Institutes of Health, and children who become infected can continue experiencing periodic sores throughout their lives.

"[There's] no point in blaming people, I just want to make people aware," Amy wrote. "It could have happened months ago and as he is run down, it's appeared. Just a shame that he will always have it."