Chickenpox is a highly contagious infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. A vaccine is available for children and adults to prevent the disease, but pregnant women should not receive it. Exposure to chickenpox can be minimized by avoiding infected people and disinfecting items. Pregnant women who contract chickenpox can pass it on to their unborn child, which can cause birth defects. Women who have never had chickenpox should discuss the situation with their doctor.
Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Both adults and children can become infected. Characterized by itchy blisters and rashes, chicken pox is highly contagious. There is a vaccine available for most children and adults, which can help prevent chickenpox infection. Other ways to limit exposure to chickenpox include avoiding infected people and disinfecting items that have come in contact with infected people.
In the past, chickenpox was not preventable and was almost considered an expected event in a child’s life. Today, a vaccine is available to prevent chickenpox. About 90% of vaccinated children will be protected against chickenpox and the remaining 10% will have less severe infections. This vaccine can be used to help prevent chickenpox in children and adults who have never had the infection. Unfortunately, pregnant women shouldn’t get the vaccine.
Chickenpox can be extremely dangerous for pregnant women because it can cause birth defects in unborn babies. If someone in a pregnant woman’s home has chickenpox, there is about a 90% chance that the woman will contract the disease. To minimize the risk, the woman should wash her hands thoroughly after touching the infected person. You should avoid touching your nose, mouth or eyes with your hands unless your hands are clean.
Also, everything the infected person touches should be disinfected to minimize exposure to chickenpox. This includes toys, crockery, telephones and cutlery. Food should also not be shared.
According to the March of Dimes, fewer than 10 percent of pregnant women have to worry about getting chickenpox while pregnant. This is because most women have either had the disease or been vaccinated for chickenpox. In the United States, the rate of getting chickenpox during pregnancy is about one in 2,000 pregnancies. A woman who knows that she has never had chickenpox or suspects that she has never had chickenpox should discuss the situation with her doctor.
A woman who is unable to avoid exposure to chickenpox and develops the disease during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy may give birth to a baby with congenital chickenpox syndrome. Among the defects that the child may have are low birth weight, blindness and mental retardation. Also, the child may have paralyzed limbs, a smaller than normal head, and seizures. Congenital chickenpox syndrome develops in one to two percent of children whose mothers have chickenpox during pregnancy.
Women who develop chickenpox later in pregnancy are less likely to have babies with birth defects. This is because during this period of time, the mother’s body will produce antibodies that will also protect the baby. When pregnant women are unable to avoid exposure to chickenpox and develop the disease between five days after delivery and two days after delivery, the baby may develop neonatal chickenpox, which can be potentially life-threatening.
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