Baby dies of viral meningitis after deadly kiss.

Baby dies of viral meningitis after deadly kiss.Mariana Sifrit, the infant girl who contracted viral meningitis caused by HSV-1 when she was less than a week old, died Tuesday morning, her mother posted on Facebook. HSV-1 is the same herpes virus that causes cold sores, and only rarely does it lead to viral meningitis, which causes the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord to become enflamed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is believed that baby Mariana contracted the deadly virus from a kiss. Mariana's parents, Nicole and Shane Sifrit, both tested negative for the virus, they told CNN affiliate WHO. more