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Kit Tarka Foundation

Kit Tarka Foundation is a small yet ambitious charity with a mission to prevent newborn baby deaths through research and education. Our initial focus is on neonatal herpes (the cold sore virus in babies) which is thought to be the cause of death for one baby every week in the UK but often goes undiagnosed and untreated with tragic consequences.

kittarkafoundation.org Fundraise for us
info@kittarkafoundation.org

Registered charity no. 1178030

Member since June 2020

About us

We work to prevent newborn baby deaths though funding relevant research and developing training and education programmes for medical professionals and the general public. Our initial focus is on neonatal herpes but we expect to expand our activity to other causes of newborn mortality in future years.

Neonatal herpes is a rare but devastating condition that can quickly lead to death or significant disability and, even if treated, can cause death or long term health problems such as brain damage or cerebral palsy. 70% of the UK population carry the herpes virus and many have no symptoms at all but in a newborn baby it is incredibly dangerous. Early recognition and treatment is essential.

The charity was founded after the preventable death of Kit Tarka when he was just 13 days old.