hi mummies
I think 1 mummy asked before on behalf of a friend abt the following.
Just share the info... i think its' something we have to take note esp those who hasnt had their chicken pox
Is it safe to be around a child with the chicken pox when I'm pregnant?
First answer | Second answer
Expert: Thomas Easterling, professor of obstetrics, University of Washington Medical School, Seattle, WA
It depends. If you've had the chicken pox then you're immune and you won't get it. More than 90 percent of us had the chicken pox growing up and a simple blood test can tell you if you're immune. If you're not, then you shouldn't be around a child who has the chicken pox because if you caught it, it could be catastrophic for you and your baby. If you get it late in the pregnancy, and you deliver the baby during the period when the virus is replicating in your body but you haven't yet developed antibodies to it, it's a catastrophe; the baby can develop a central nervous system infection that gives her a 50 percent chance of ending up with severe neurological problems. However, the danger can be averted if the baby is given zosterimmunoglobulin at birth. If you get chicken pox earlier in your pregnancy, there's some chance that the baby could get chicken pox, too, and develop sores on her body that could cause limb deformities. In rare cases, exposed fetuses develop neurological problems. The other danger is that you could get chicken pox in your lungs (varicella pneumonia), which is not common but can be life-threatening. Drugs used to treat herpes, such as acyclovir, can reduce the severity of the symptoms. If it's a child in your household who has come down with chicken pox, you've already been exposed to the virus for four or five days before the child developed the pox. If you're not immune you can go on medication like acyclovir to suppress the virus from developing.
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Expert: Deborah Ehrenthal, assistant residency program director of obstetrics and gynecology, Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, DE
Not if you've never had the chicken pox. If you get the chicken pox during pregnancy, you tend to get sicker and are at higher risk of developing pulmonary complications. If you get chicken pox in the first trimester there is also a small risk of birth defects. So if you've been exposed to someone with the chicken pox and know you've never had it, you should consider getting varicella immune globulin within a few days to try to prevent the infection from developing. If you actually come down with the chicken pox, you may be given an antiviral drug such as acyclovir to try to decrease the severity of the infection.