Chickenpox in summer air, moms-to-be at greater risk

CHENNAI: Summer is the peak season for chickenpox - the highly-contagious virus which causes unpleasant blisters on the skin for some but can be lethal for others. For pregnant mothers and their unborn babies, the disease may lead to foetal deformities, doctors say. In the last two months, gynecologists have been seeing many pregnant women infected with the disease. The viruses that cause these air-borne diseases seem to thrive in the summer heat. Chicken pox, caused by varicella-zoster virus, can lead to complications both for the pregnant woman and the unborn baby. However, the risk of complications depends on when the women gets the infected, says Dr Jayashree Gajaraj, gynecologist, Apollo Hospitals.In many cases, school kids bring in the infection to theirmothers. In the last one month, Dr Gajaraj has asked at least two women in herclinic to go in for abortions fearing that the baby may develop foetal varicellasyndrome -- a chicken-pox related complication that can lead to severe organmalfunctions. One of them was a women who got the infection from her child innursery class. The other was 32-year-old Sundari (name changed), who tookfertilty treatment to get pregnant. "I am shattered that a virus could take awaymy dream to have a baby," she said. Expectant mothers can developcomplications such as pneumonia. Malfunctions of organs such as brain, liver,heart, kidney and pancreas could also occur. In rare cases, complications can befatal. Doctors say that many women are immune to the virus as they would haveeither acquired immunity or were vaccinated in childhood. If they are notimmune, doctors recommend the varicella vaccine three months before planningpregnancy. "Vaccine is one way. Isolating themselves from children and relativeswith chicken pox is absolutely mandatory," says T. Rajagopal, general physician.