chicken pox

Posted by Jay on May 02, 1999 at 23:03:34
   I would like to know what kind of risk my wife is in if my son has chicken pox. she is 4 months pregnant she does not rember if she has had chicken pox as a child. we do not know yet if our son has chicken pox. hes cousin has them and he was ruff houesing with him. my son is 6. and if ther is a big danger should my wife stay with the inlaws and if so when.  

Posted by hfhs.md.db on May 04, 1999 at 16:04:34
Chicken pox (varicella) rarely can cause birth defects, in the fetuses of women who have varicella during pregnancy. The birth defects in general involve the developing limbs of the baby but are generally able to be diagnosed by ultrasonographically. Again, however, the chance of a birth defect is quite low even for a women developing confirmed varicella during pregnancy.
Pregnant women developing varicella have an increased chance of developing a relatively serious form of the infection which can cause pneumonia. Therefore, with varicella infection during pregnancy, moms need to be closely watched for symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, etc.
The first step is to have your wife's blood tested for evidence of past varicella infection (i.e. antibodies). Chances are overwhelmingly good that she has antibodies indicating past infection. In this scenario, there is little maternal or fetal risk.
In general, I would not recommend separating your son and wife if he develops a rash, since by the time a rash develops a person has a much lower likelihood of passing the infection.