New parents are being warned to be wary of letting people kiss their babies after a newborn died from meningitis.
Marianna Sifrit died from the virus this morning from the virus.
"Our princess Mariana Reese Sifrit gained her angel wings at 8:41 am this morning in her daddy's arms and her mommy right beside her," her mother Nicole wrote on
Facebook.
Nicole and her husband Shane had been in hospital with the infant since 7 July, when she was admitted after falling ill at just a few days old.
The couple married on a week after the little girl's birth, but their wedding day celebrations were cut short when they had to rush the little girl to the hospital.
They noticed that the little girl wasn't eating and couldn't be woken up. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with Meningitis HSV1, a life-threatening strain of the virus.
"It immediately went downhill from there. Within two hours she had quit breathing and all of her organs just started to fail," Shane told
WhoTV.
As both parents were shown to be clear of the virus, doctors now believe Marianna may have caught the illness from someone else carrying the cold sore virus, possibly from a kiss.
"They touch her and then she touches her mouth with her hand," said Nicole.
"Keep your babies isolated," she warned other parents of newborns.
"Don't let just anyone come visit them. Make sure they are constantly washing their hands. Don't let people kiss your baby and make sure they ask before they pick up your baby."
