Herpes babies.Cesarean sections are not a blanket herpes preventive for babies born to mothers with active genital herpes Genital Herpes Definition Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a herpes virus. The disease is characterized by the formation of fluid-filled, painful blisters in the genital area. , according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Katherine M. Stone and her colleagues collected data on U.S. babies born with herpes from October 1983 through March 1985. Ten of 190 babies reported to the Atlanta-based agency had gotten the disease, which has a two year survival rate of about 60 percent, despite having been delivered by cesarean section to keep the baby from encountering the virus in the birth canal birth canal n. The passage through which the fetus is expelled during parturition, leading from the uterus through the cervix, vagina, and vulva. Also called parturient canal. . Cesarean sections can and do prevent most cases of neonatal herpes neonatal herpes n. A herpesvirus type two infection transmitted to the newborn during passage through an infected birth canal. , Stone says, but adds, "The important thing is that there are other modes of transmission." Possibilities include the virus crossing the placenta or getting into the amniotic fluid amniotic fluid n. The fluid within the amnion that surrounds the fetus and protects it from injury. Amniotic fluid The liquid that surrounds the baby within the amniotic sac. , or a person with a cold sore kissing the baby, she says. |
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