Cesarean Section Lowers Risk of Herpes for Newborns

(14 Feb 2003)

HSV can cause neonatal herpes, a rare but life-threatening disease however a new study(1) has confirmed that performing cesarean section in women with active herpes infection will significantly reduce the risk of their new baby becoming infected with the virus at the time of delivery.

The research, which was carried out by the University of Washington-Seattle in the US(2), reported on 202 pregnant women who were infected with herpes simplex and shedding virus at the time of delivery. Only 1 per cent who had a cesarean section gave birth to a baby with herpes infection, compared to nearly 8 per cent of those who delivered naturally. The researchers also found that those women who had been most recently infected were more likely to pass on the infection during birth.

Although HSV infection is not life-threatening in adults, if an infant is infected during birth, it can be serious and deadly, sometimes fatal.

The authors concluded that neonatal herpes can be reduced by preventing acquisition of genital herpes in pregnant women near term. This can be done by education about abstinence, use of condoms and or consideration of suppressive oral anti-virals. It can also be reduced by cesarean delivery and limiting the use of invasive monitors among women shedding HSV at the time of delivery.

For more information please refer to the IHA leaflet "Herpes Simplex and Pregnancy" under the 'Resource' Section of the website

Ref:
(1). Journal of the American Medical Association 2003; 289:203-209.
(2). Authors: Brown ZA, Wald A, Morrow RA, Selke S, Zeh J, Corey L