Is it possible that DC caught herpes from nursery?

[Cigal]

I noticed that with DD, 1 year old, the corners of her mouth looked like they were getting sore on Friday. Over the weekend the corners of her mouth have become more inflamed and almost look like white blisters? She has a white ulcer looking spot on her tongue and on her gum at the back of her mouth that I noticed when she was crying.

Her tongue was white white so I thought it was maybe oral thrush but apparently it is not.

I took her to a pharmacist who said it was ulcers after having a virus last week - she has had bronchitis over the last 7-10 days and still has a cough now.

However I am worried that it is actually the herpes virus, caught from sharing toys at nursery. Is this likely? I’ve googled and it looks similar to the photos I’ve seen (the less severe ones…) but equally it looks like some oral thrush photos, and also looks like photos I’ve seen of canker sores so it’s really hard to tell.

Also, do I send her into nursery? It’s the first time in at least a week that she’s been herself, so it would be such a shame to not be able to send her in.

Are you sure it’s not hand foot and mouth? That’s super common in nursery age kids and would cause sores like you’re describing.

I get cold sores a few times a year, but I've never had one on my tongue.

It’s only her mouth that’s got these sores. Not on her hands or feet

Sounds a bit odd to be Herpes as on the tongue. But yes unfortunately with Nursery and school everything spreada like wildfire.

Have you compared to pictures of hand foot and mouth? Our little one first had spots in her mouth, then around her mouth (which was when I finally noticed 😥) and then on her hands and feet...

Although the white tongue seems strange... out little one has this more often due to a partial tongue tie. Most children have normal coloured tongues.

Yes and asked a friend who’s 2 kids have had it recently, he’s said it doesn’t look like HF&M.

I am so hoping it’s not herpes but somethings telling me it is, sadly 😢. So sad for my DD.

Sounds like hand foot and mouth , very common and may still come on hands

Impetigo can be similar to that in the corners or the mouth.

When my first child had HFM, he only had it in the mouth and not on hands and feet at all - he was in a lot of pain. We thought it might be herpes, but transpires it was HFM, and he got 1 or 2 tiny spots that you would easily miss on his hands. My second child got it on hand and feet and none in the mouth that I could see, and sailed through it,

Oh really? We’re the spots like little rash / scabs or were they blister-like? DD’s look very much like ulcers / blisters.

Photos might be helpful, so this was on Saturday…

And these were from this morning

I think I might take her to the GP for a second opinion. Not because I don't trust the pharmacist, but because it could be so many things and it doesn't look like anything I recognise.

HFM can only be around the mouth if it's mild.

But if it is herpes and she's caught it from nursery, it's unfortunate but really just one of those things. Please don't blame the nursery.

It doesn't look like oral herpes to me. I've suffered from cold sores my whole life and they always present as little clusters rather than what looks like big blisters. And whilst it has spread to my nose/chin, even up face at worst, never on the tongue.

When I've been really run down I've had persistent cracks at the corners that can get really sore, and were only cured eventually by anti fungal cream. That aspect plus the tongue blister made me think fungal. But also hand foot and mouth is definitely a possibility- it presents very differently- lots of strains of it hence why kids get it repeatedly. And it spreads like wildfire at that age. Take really great care with nappy changes and fastidious hand washing as the virus sheds in the poo for weeks afterwards - how parents and caregivers catch it.

Hope DD heals soon looks really uncomfortable.

Looks like she needs her B12 boosted, if she's been ill she's probably run down.

I get cracks/sores in the corners of my mouth and on my tongue, and ulcers when my B12 is low.

It seems perfectly possible she could pick up cold sores at nursery - kids are not shy of sharing saliva.

But your pictures look very similar to what happens to my lips when I'm run down. Often it's been a B12 thing for me, but not always. That would be my gut instinct if I were in your position.

It looks like angular cheilitis, to me - echoing PPs, I get it when I'm very run down after a bug or if I've been stressed and tired. The other ulcers might be a further manifestation of the same thing, OR might be completely independent, or all three might be caused by something else!

If you're worried, take her to the GP. You might want to warn them that it could be HFM, though, as it's very contagious and they might want photos rather than an in-person consultation for her!

Thanks everyone. Going to a GP appointment tomorrow with her so hopefully they’ll have some answers!

Sounds very much like HFM to me, you don't have to have it in all 3 places and you can also have spots in other places (my poor DH had spots all over his bum when he caught it off DD 🤣) and DD had spots in the creases of her knees.

If it was herpes I would expect it to only be in one spot, on/near the lips/mouth. I'm prone to cold sores and that's how they present. I don't tend to get ulcers at the same time.

Angular Chelitis.

My daughters impetigo started off looking like cold sores but they came up much quicker than you would expect for cold sores. It looked quite similar to your pictures
If it is impetigo you have to be off nursery until you have been on treatment for 48h.