While the risk of transmitting neonatal herpes is minimal, the possibility still exists that an infected pregnant mother can pass herpes to her unborn child. Fortunately, taking the proper precautions can help parents avoid the devastating consequences, which can occur when an infant contracts neonatal herpes.
Statistics
Neonatal herpes is not a reportable disease in most states, according to Herpes.com, so exact numbers are hard to come by. However, most researchers estimate that neonatal herpes transmission occurs in between 1,000 to 3,000 births out of four million each year, or less than one percent.
Spreading Neonatal Herpes
Approximately 25 percent of all women infected with genital herpes are not aware of their condition, according to the March of Dimes. This lack of knowledge is largely the reason why 90 percent of neonatal herpes are transmitted when an infant comes into contact with the virus in the birth canal during delivery. Most babies contract the disease when the mother has an active outbreak, causing high amounts of viral shedding to occur. While smaller, the risk also exists for babies to contract the disease via asymptomatic shedding, which occurs when the virus reactivates without any noticeable symptoms. Approximately five to eight percent of neonatal herpes cases occur after birth, often when kissed by an adult with an active infection of oral herpes known as cold sores.
Higher Risk Situations
Pregnant women who develop genital herpes during the last trimester of pregnancy are at greatest risk for transmitting the disease to their baby, in part because they are not aware of their condition until it is too late. In addition, bodies of women who contract herpes in the last trimester lack sufficient time to develop antibodies that are sent across the placenta and help to protect the unborn child. According to Herpes.com, the risk of transmission when a woman develops herpes during the last trimester may be as high as 50 percent. In fact, the website claims this situation may account for almost half of all neonatal herpes cases. Premature babies also face a slightly higher risk if their mother has herpes, because the transfer of maternal antibodies, including those developed in response to herpes, doesn't begin until 28 weeks into the pregnancy. It is also estimated that five percent of neonatal herpes cases occur when the virus crosses the placenta and infects the baby.
Preventing Neonatal Herpes
Part of proper prenatal care is for a healthcare provider to carefully examine any woman with herpes for signs of infection prior to labor. If an active infection is apparent at the time of delivery, a cesarean delivery will likely be scheduled. A vaginal delivery is considered safe for most women with recurrent herpes, according to herpes.com, provided there are no signs of infection during delivery. Some doctors prescribe Acyclovir during the last month of pregnancy to help prevent active infections during labor and delivery.
