Neonatal Herpes
As a parent it is their natural instinct to try to protect their children from any harm. However there are some times where the harm that they can give to the kids is a cause of a disease. One of these diseases is neonatal herpes that a baby may contact from an infected parent. The effects of neonatal herpes to a baby are devastating but the chance of him having it is very small. This article helps explains the damages of neonatal herpes to child.
Neonatal herpes is a type of herpes that can be contacted by babies through infected pregnant women. The chances of neonatal herpes occurring to your baby may be slim (.1% of babies are infected from women 25 to 30% of infected women) but it is still best to find out more about how this disease may affect your baby.
Neonatal herpes damage to a baby can be very severe. It can damage the central nervous system causing mental retardation or even death. If the medication is given early, the lasting damages will be prevented. Even though antiviral medications have been given, the impact of this disease on babies is dangerous.
Babies who are mostly at risk of having contacted this disease are those pregnant mothers who have contacted the disease late in their pregnancy stages. This is because during this time, the antiviral bodies that the mother produces will not be that active and therefore the baby will have no natural protection. There is also a chance that the infection will be present at the birth canal during delivery.
Another way for herpes to spread to a baby is by being kissed by infected person’s during his first few weeks of birth. The baby will be able to contact oral herpes. There are also some rare occasions were a person will touch an infected person with a cold sore. After which he will kiss or touch the baby and the bay will become infected too.
For women that have acquired the herpes before being pregnant have much little risk to infect their babies. This is because they have already developed antibodies that are temporarily passed on to their babies through the placenta. So even if the virus or infection is very active at the birth canal during the delivery, the baby will be protected by the antibodies.
For whatever stages you may have contacted your herpes when you are pregnant, the best and safest way to prevent your baby from getting infected is to be in contact with a medical expert.