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A toddler has had her face "eaten alive" by a shocking herpes virus she caught from kissing a relative's cold sore.

Sienna Duffield, 3, was diagnosed with herpes earlier in the year - a contagious virus which caused blisters to spread across her face.

The toddler has recovered from the scare which began in October 2015 when she kissed a family member which caused the severe infection.

Her mother , Savina French-Bell, 21, from Gloucester, had to wash Sienna's bed sheets daily and constantly throw out clothes because of daily blood stains from Sienna's sores.

(Image: Caters News Agency) (Image: Caters News Agency)

The painful blisters were extremely itchy and caused Sienna's sensitive skin to be covered in blood stains and pus.

Sienna was admitted to hospital on her second birthday in October 2015 where she was placed on an IV drip because she had stopped eating.

Savina then sought advice for creams and antibiotics to prevent Sienna's condition from getting even worse.

The young mother is now sharing her story to help other parents battling the same condition.

(Image: Caters News Agency)

(Image: Caters News Agency)

Savina, a nursery worker, said: "Sienna was being eaten alive by her skin infection.

"It came out of nowhere on her second birthday when she started developing ulcers in her mouth.

"It started to look like someone had thrown acid over her face, it spread from her mouth to her cheeks, and above her eyes.

(Image: Caters News Agency)

"I realised that she kissed a family member last year which brought on the infection. Everyone in the family was distraught.

"She stopped eating and every day for eight months was horrific, there was always blood on her clothes and I was scared to take her outside.

"People would give us horrible looks, children would stare and adults would make nasty comments.

"For eight months, no antibiotics were working as the infection kept coming back and her face was being ravaged.

"We were given every cream available but her skin kept clearing then coming back, it was so upsetting."

Sienna was eventually given flucloxacillin antibiotics which worked after doctors thought she had a severe case of eczema.

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Savina desperately tried to stop Sienna's condition from getting worse by preventing her from eating and drinking certain foods.

She took Sienna to a private hospital for more answers, where they ran allergy tests.

Savina said: "I was told she may have allergies to something, so I kept her away from pets and made sure she no longer consumed any dairy products.

"Even preventing her from eating certain foods did not heal her face.

"Doctors were shocked and for ages they had no idea what brought on Sienna's virus.

"I was told she has eczema as well which made her skin even worse.

"Her face took so long to heal because her body was so weak.

"Every day her skin would be stuck to pillows and there would always be blood everywhere.

"I tried to stop her from scratching herself but she would use surfaces such as sofas in the house to scratch her face."

Savina now says her daughter's face has never looked so clear and she hopes that the infection won't return in the future.

She said: "For the past few months Sienna's face has looked amazing and the infection has not returned.

"There is always a chance of it coming back but fingers crossed it won't happen and her skin will stay as good as it is now.

"I was told that the older she gets the better her body will be at fighting off infections.

"It's great to be able to go outside and not get any horrible comments from anyone.

"Whereas before people were nasty to Sienna, now everyone is overwhelmed at how her face has healed, and that's amazing to see."