My Father Had A Cold Sore . He No Longer

Posted on Sat, 18 May 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 18 May 2019 Answered on

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Question : My father had a cold sore. He no longer has it and it's been gone for over a week. Pink skin is left, but that's almost vanished too. Is he still contagious? He kissed my 7 week old daughter near her mouth, though I told him not to. Should I be concerned?

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Most contagious when oozing blisters are present

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, welcome to Ask a doctor service.
I read your query and here is my advice.

Cold sores are most contagious when oozing blisters are present but there is also a probability that it can be also transmitted if someone doesn't have blisters.
Kissing is the main form of transmitting it.
So to conclude most probably the grandfather hasn't transmitted it to the child.

Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng