pregnancy > b19-infection-and-pregnancy

has fifth disease, or if you have an illness that might be caused by parvovirus B19, you may wish to discuss your situation with your personal physician. Your physician may wish to perform a blood test to see if you have become infected with parvovirus B19.

I have had a blood test for parvovirus B19. What do the results of the blood test mean?

A blood test for parvovirus B19 may show
1) that you are immune to parvovirus B19 and have no sign of recent infection
2) that you are not immune and have not yet been infected
3) that you have had a recent infection.
If you are immune, then you have nothing further to be concerned about. If you are not immune and not yet infected, then you may wish to avoid further exposure during your pregnancy. If you have had a recent infection, you should discuss with your physician what to do to monitor your pregnancy.

If I'm infected, what do I need to do about my pregnancy?

There is no universally recommended approach to monitor a pregnant woman who has a documented parvovirus B19 infection. Some physicians treat a parvovirus B19 infection in a pregnant woman as a low-risk condition and continue to provide routine prenatal care. Other physicians may increase the frequency of doctor visits and perform blood tests and ultrasound examinations to monitor the health of the unborn baby. The benefit of these tests in this situation, however, is not clear. If the unborn baby appears to be ill, there are special diagnostic and treatment options available, and your obstetrician will discuss these options with you and their potential benefits and risks.

Is there a way I can keep from being infected with parvovirus B19 during my pregnancy?

There is no vaccine or medicine that prevents parvovirus B19 infection. Frequent hand washing is recommended as a practical and probably effective method to reduce the spread of parvovirus. Excluding persons with fifth disease from work, child care centers, schools, or other settings is not likely to prevent the spread of parvovirus B19, since ill persons are contagious before they develop the characteristic rash. CDC does not recommend that pregnant women should routinely be excluded from a workplace where a fifth disease outbreak is occurring, because of the problems noted above. Rather, CDC considers that the decision to stay away from a workplace where there are cases of fifth disease is an personal decision for a woman to make, after discussions with her family, physician, and employer.

(published with permission in writing from:http://www.cdc.gov/)