Neonatal herpes still presents diagnostic and management problems in view of continuing high mortality and morbidity rates, even though effective antiviral therapy is now available. This article, which reviews current knowledge and progress, provides practical guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of neonatal herpes, based on the literature and decades of experience. It is advisable to focus at the local level on detecting maternal cervical infection, applying the available diagnostic tools and obtaining appropriate medical specialty consultations, as well as improving health worker and patient education about detecting and managing herpes simplex virus infections.