Definition:
Neonatal herpes is a rare but serious medical condition. It is usually the result of vertical transmission of the virus from mother-to-newborn child. There are also cases when the disease is acquired afterbirth from parent, caretaker or sibling.
Treatment:
There is no treatment that can wipe out any of the herpes viruses present in the body. Treatments can only offer temporary relief or alleviate the symptoms of the disease; but in reality there is no cure for this. There are medications available to reduce itching like topical anesthetics such as lidocaine or tetracaine. There are also medications that can reduce fever and pain during eruptions.
Symptoms and Signs:
There are three forms of Neonatal Herpes: SEM (skin, eyes and mouth) herpes; DIS (disseminated) herpes, and CNS (central nervous system) herpes. Each form has distinguishing symptoms as follows:
SEM herpes solitary and most prominent feature is the presence of external lesions without any internal organ involved. These lesions can be situated on trauma sites like the attachment site of fetal scalp electrodes, vacuums, or forceps used during delivery, nasal portion of the pharynx, and margin of the eyes.
DIS herpes affects the internal organs especially the liver.
Infants with CNS herpes exhibit seizures, tremors, irritability, feed poorly; have unstable temperature, and bulging fontanel.
Causes:
The cause of neonatal herpes is often due to virus transmission from mother to fetus or infant.
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