• Tom Greenhalgh was not allowed to be in contact with his son for two weeks
  
• The rare condition could have killed the newborn baby
  
• His upper body and head were completely covered in painful, weeping sores
  
• Thinks he became infected by nervously scratching while awaiting the birth

A father was banned from seeing his newborn son after contracting a horrific herpes rash.

Tom Greenhalgh, 27, was not allowed to be in contact with his son Austin for two weeks because the rare condition could have killed the newborn baby.

His upper body and head were completely covered in painful, weeping sores after he picked up a severe form of the herpes virus.

Mr Greenhalgh, from Ilkeston, Nottingham, believes that he became infected by nervously scratching himself as wife Kerry – already two weeks overdue – went into labour.

Mr Greenhalgh, who already had sensitive skin and eczema, was told he probably contracted the virus from something like a door handle and transferred it to a raw patch on his body.

He felt fine as little Austin arrived at Nottingham City Hospital and went home to get some sleep.

But a few hours later he woke up to find his neck was inflamed and painful and the rash quickly spread to his chest and face to his hairline.

Mr Greenhalgh tried treating the outbreak with some of his normal eczema cream but sores started to quickly develop with a weeping clear fluid.

He covered the sores in bandaging but there was still no improvement so he went to the doctor the next day – just 24 hours after leaving the maternity unit.

The GP was so shocked he first thought he was facing a burns victim before prescribing some extra-strong cream which had little effect.

Two days later Mr Greenhalgh, by now in unbearable pain, took himself to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Recovered: Tom Greenhalgh, 27, with his partner Kerry and their son Austin

Order: Tom Greenhalgh was not allowed to be in contact with his son Austin for two weeks because the rare condition could have killed the newborn baby

He was immediately put on a drip and referred to the hospital’s dermatology specialists who diagnosed the rash as eczema herpeticum.

They gave Mr Greenhalgh antibiotics and antivirals and a cream he had to put in his eyes to protect them as the rash can cause blindness.

They discharged him the same day – but told him the rash was so contagious he would not be allowed near his baby son for at least two weeks.

Mr Greenhalgh said: ‘It was a nightmare. The rash was so contagious I couldn’t see Austin for two weeks.

‘I’ve got no complaints about the hospitals – the staff were great and I just put it down to one of those things.

Prolonged: Mr Greenhalgh was forced to take six weeks off from his work at a plumbers’ merchants as he waited for the scabs to go.  It then took four months before the scars finally cleared

Mr Greenhalgh spent a frustrating fortnight staying with his parents as Kerry, 24, and Austin went home.

Just a week after his birth last December little Austin alarmingly started to show signs of the same rash.

Kerry immediately spotted the danger and rushed him into A&E at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Doctors successfully prescribed the same treatment as Tom and the rash quickly disappeared before it had chance to fully develop.

Mr Greenhalgh meanwhile was forced to take six weeks off from his work at a plumbers’ merchants as he waited for the scabs to go.

It was then another four months before the unsightly scars that had covered his upper body and head finally cleared.

Mr Greenhalgh added: ‘I’ve got sensitive skin and eczema and then because of the stress of the labour I started scratching myself.

‘I was told it would have been easy to pick up the virus from something like a door handle if someone who’d got a cold sore had touched it.

‘I saw Austin being born and then went home at 6am and when I woke up the rash had started.

‘I couldn’t see him for another two weeks then or even go near him.

‘I wasn’t banned from seeing Kerry at the same time, but she wasn’t going to go anywhere without Austin so I didn’t see her for two weeks too.

‘She kept in touch with texts and picture messages, but it wasn’t the same as being there.

‘It was such a relief when I was finally allowed to go home and see him and hold him.’