HealthPartners - Your guide to pregnancy

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)

MUMPS Mumps is not common during pregnancy because of the childhood vaccine and low infection rate in at-risk adults. Having the mumps during your pregnancy rarely causes abnormalities in the baby. If you are not immunized, try to avoid contact with anyone who has the mumps. RUBELLA (GERMAN MEASLES) Rubella is another viral disease that can be harmful if you catch it during the first 3 months of your pregnancy. Once you’ve had rubella or been vaccinated, you’re immune for life. Several skin rashes that come with a fever may look like rubella at first. A blood test can confirm this. If you think you’ve been exposed to rubella, call your health care provider immediately. A blood test will show whether you have immunity or if you need to be concerned about your baby. If your blood test results show that you have never had this infection, your health care provider will recommend you get immunized after this pregnancy. TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA, PERTUSSIS The Tdap vaccine is recommended between 27-36 weeks of pregnancy to lower the risk of 3 serious infections: • Tetanus – A serious disease caused by a bacterial toxin that affects your nervous system. Although rare, it affects the breathing muscles. Left untreated it causes death in 1 out of 5 cases. Everyone should get a tetanus shot every 10 years. • Diphtheria – A highly contagious bacterial infection that causes serious respiratory disease. • Pertussis (whooping cough) – A very contagious respiratory infection. In newborns, it causes severe coughing spells and makes it hard to breathe. This can be life-threatening. Health experts recommend that all family members and caregivers get a Tdap vaccine at least 2 weeks before coming into close contact with the new baby. Even if you never had rubella, you may have immunity because of early childhood vaccinations NEED TO KNOW

Human immunodeficiency virus attacks the body’s natural ability to defend itself against infection and sickness. When your immune system fails due to HIV, your body becomes an easy target for infections and certain cancers. Risk factors for HIV include sharing intravenous needles or having sex with an infected person. A person is considered to have AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) when their immune system is so weakened by the virus that it can’t fight off disease or when the person comes down with a specific disease associated with HIV. You’ll be routinely tested for HIV early in your pregnancy. It is recommended that you’re tested again closer to your due date. There is no vaccine to prevent HIV today. The risk of an infected person passing the virus to their newborn child is about 1 in 4. But specific medications taken during pregnancy can reduce the risk of infection to fewer than 2 out of 100 babies. If you have HIV, you should not breastfeed.

LISTERIOSIS Listeriosis (food poisoning) can be a serious infection. It is caused by eating food contaminated with the listeria bacteria and causes flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, chills, fever, and muscle aches. Some listeriosis infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or life threatening infection in the newborn baby. If it’s caught early, listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics. The source of the listeria bacteria is contaminated food, including unpasteurized milk or cheese, hot dogs, lunch meats, smoked seafood, and unwashed vegetables. See “ Preventing Food Poisoning ” on page 30 for a list of foods that may put you at higher risk for food poisoning.

40 Your Guide to A Healthy Pregnancy