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Review
. 2018 Sep;37(9):1603-1609.
doi: 10.1007/s10096-018-3286-7. Epub 2018 May 25.

Management of chickenpox in pregnant women: an Italian perspective

Serena Parente  1 , Nicola Schiano Moriello  2 , Alberto Enrico Maraolo  2 , Grazia Tosone  2
Affiliations
Review

Management of chickenpox in pregnant women: an Italian perspective

Serena Parente et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease caused by primary infection of varicella zoster virus (VZV). The disease is spread worldwide and is usually benign but, in some groups of population like pregnant women, can have a severe outcome. Due to a not optimal vaccination coverage, a relatively high number of childbearing-aged women in a European country such as Italy tested seronegative for VZV and so are currently at risk of acquiring chickenpox during pregnancy, especially if they live in contact with children for family or work reasons. Only few data are available about the risk of infection in this setting: the incidence of chickenpox may range from 1.5 to 4.6 cases/1000 childbearing females and from 1.21 to 6 cases/10,000 pregnant women, respectively. This review is aimed to focus on the epidemiology and the clinical management of exposure to chickenpox during pregnancy. Particular emphasis is given to the accurate screening of childbearing women at the time of the first gynecological approach - the females who tested susceptible to infection can be counseled about the risks and instructed on procedure should contact occur - and to the early prophylaxis of the at-risk exposure. Lastly, the achievement of adequate vaccination coverage of the Italian population remains a cornerstone in the prevention of chickenpox in pregnancy.

Keywords: Chickenpox; Management; Pregnancy; Prophylaxis; Vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
ᅟThe practice algorithm for the management of VZV exposure and infection in pregnant women
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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