Perhaps, a Hep C positive mum has only a 5% chance of passing the Hepatitis C virus to her baby when it is being born (A one in twenty risk). Babies born to Hep C positive mums should only be tested at around 18 months old to make sure that any antibodies from the mum will have cleared away.

The possibility of transmission must be considered when a woman with hepatitis C is deciding whether to have children. For infants who have received the hepatitis C virus from their mother, brief elevations of liver enzymes may occur, but no chronic liver disease has been reported. There have been no reports of cirrhosis in newborns, infants or child due to mother-to-child hepatitis C infection.

HBsAg is the ONLY test that indicates that a woman has an active HBV infection that can be transmitted to her infant. If a woman is found to be HBsAg positive, the most useful additional test would the IgM anti-HBc with a repeat HBsAg which would tell if the woman has an acute infection or if she is chronically infected. Chronicity can also be determined by two positive HBsAg tests six months, or more, apart.

There has been one known case in the United States of a mother passing West Nile virus to her unborn baby. In this case, the baby was born with serious medical problems. However, it is not known whether the problems were caused by West Nile virus or by other factors. Since evidence shows it is possible to pass West Nile virus to an unborn child, pregnant women should take immediate steps to reduce their risk of mosquito bites if they are in an area where West Nile virus is active.

Yes. If the mother is having her first outbreak during pregnancy, there is a risk the baby may contract the virus. If it is not the first outbreak, there is less of a chance.

If you have HBV in your blood, you can give hepatitis B to your baby. Babies who get HBV at birth may have the virus for the rest of their lives, can spread the disease, and can get cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.

The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is spread through contact with infected blood, through sex with an infected person, and from mother to child during childbirth. It is the most common hepatitis virus. Most adults who become infected will recover from HBV after a few months and become immune to being infected again. Others are not able to get rid of the virus and stay infected for life. Chronic HBV often leads to a scarring of the liver, called cirrhosis (sir-o-sis) and liver cancer.

Hepatitis B carrier" is a term that is sometimes used to indicate people who have chronic (long-term) infection with HBV. Persons with chronic infection can infect others and are at increased risk of serious liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

If a pregnant woman has gonorrhea, she may give the infection to her baby as the baby passes through the birth canal during delivery. This can cause blindness, joint infection or a life-threatening blood infection in the baby. Treatment of gonorrhea as soon as it is detected in pregnant women will reduce the risk of these complications. Pregnant women should consult a health care provider for appropriate examination, testing and treatment, if necessary.

The bacteria that causes syphilis can infect the baby of a woman during her pregnancy. Depend­ing on how long a pregnant woman has been infected, she may have a high risk of having a stillbirth (a baby born dead) or of giving birth to a baby who dies shortly after birth. An infected baby may be born without symptoms of disease. However, if not treated immediately, the baby may develop serious problems within a few weeks. Untreated babies may become slow developing, have seizures or die.

plan B will not work if you already have a confirmed pregnancy. However, if you are pregnant and have already taken the pill, there's no evidence that plan B will harm the fetus.

Women with genital herpes can have healthy babies. However, it is possible, if you become infected during pregnancy or you have an outbreak at the time of delivery, to transmit the infection to your baby. Therefore, it is particularly important to take appropriate precautions to prevent becoming infected during pregnancy, particularly if your partner has genital herpes and you don't.

No. Only 10 pct of adults and 50 pct. of children, but 90 pct of all hepatitis B virus HBV infection in babies, develops into chronic hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is a blood-borne or sexually transmitted disease which can cause serious health problems. Even though a person infected with this virus may not show any signs of infection, they can unknowingly pass it on to others.

People who do not recover from HBV infection are chronically infected, and there are over one million chronically infected people in the United States today. A chronically infected person is someone who has had HBV in her/his blood for more than six months. While approximately 5% of adults who acquire HBV infection become chronically infected, children less than five years of age have a greater risk.

Pregnant women who are infected with HBV can transmit the disease to their babies. Many of these babies develop lifelong HBV infections, and up to 25% will develop liver failure or liver cancer later in life. All pregnant women should be tested early in pregnancy to determine if they are infected with HBV. If the blood test is positive, the baby should be vaccinated at birth with two shots, one of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and one of hepatitis B vaccine.

Hepatitis A virus is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. This type of transmission is called "fecal-oral." For this reason, the virus is more easily spread in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or where good personal hygiene is not observed. Most infections result from contact with a household member or sex partner who has hepatitis A.

HAV can live outside the body for months, depending on the environmental conditions. HAV is killed by heating to 185 degrees F. (85 degrees C.) for one minute. However, HAV can still be spread from cooked food if it gets contaminated after cooking. Adequate chlorination of water, as recommended in the US, kills HAV that may get into the water supply.