Shingles during pregnancy | Shingles

Shingles during pregnancy

During pregnancy, the pregnant woman should avoid closer contact with people with shingles. If a mother suffers from shingles during her pregnancy, there is basically no significant risk to the unborn child if immunity to the varicella virus exists. However, if the pregnant woman has no immunity because she has not been vaccinated or has not yet had chickenpox, there is a risk that contact with shingles will lead to the mother developing chickenpox.

The first occurrence of chickenpox during pregnancy is rare but serious. In about a quarter of the cases, the unborn child is infected. This can proceed without consequences, but can lead to severe malformations of the child up to death, especially if the mother is severely ill. In certain cases, for example if the spouse suffers from shingles and the expectant mother has not had chickenpox and is not vaccinated, so-called post-exposure prophylaxis is recommended.In this process, antibodies are injected to “catch” the pathogens. In this way, the outbreak of the disease can be prevented or at least its course can be attenuated.

Shingles in children

Even in children, shingles can only occur after they have been infected with chickenpox. Overall, shingles in children is rather rare, especially in the first 10 years of life. If a child has contact with a person suffering from shingles and has not yet had chickenpox or had a chickenpox vaccination, the chickenpox disease can be transmitted.

The course and treatment of shingles in children varies according to the status of the immune system of the person affected. If the functional capacity of the immune system is intact, shingles usually proceeds harmlessly and self-limiting. This means that no specific therapy against shingles is necessary and the disease heals by itself.

In this case, a symptomatic therapy is carried out: in case of pain, the taking of painkillers or the application of anaesthetic ointments can help. A lotion to stop itching can also be used to treat itching. As there is a risk of bacterial infection due to constant scratching of chickenpox, this risk is also reduced by using a special anti-itching substance. In children without an intact immune system function, for example during chemotherapy or HIV infection, shingles can have a serious course that can lead to death. For this reason, the child should be given an effective anti-viral agent as an infusion in a pediatric clinic.