Neonatal Herpes

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Neonatal Herpes is rare but dangerous

Neonatal herpes is rare but extremely dangerous, the infection is passed from mother to baby when the child is born and comes in contact with infected genital secretions. In the United States about 1 in 3,000 children are infected with neonatal herpes and 1 in 20,000 live births. The risk of transition from mother to newborn is 30-57%.

Neonatal Herpes Treatment – Valacyclovir

Valacyclovir is a nucleoside analog that only inhibit viral replication, they reduce the duration of the painful vesicular lesions and the duration of symptomatic and asymptomatic shedding of the virus. Valacyclovir has a high bioavailability with greater absorption which results in higher plasma levels; valacyclovir has one of the highest bioavailability compared to other herpes medications.

Neonatal Herpes simplex

Neonatal HSV infection is usually caused by vertical transmission of HSV from mother to newborn. 85% of cases occur during birth when the baby comes into contact with infected genital secretions in the birth canal. About 5% are infected in utero and about 10% of cases are acquired postnatally.

Symptoms are vesicles on the body usually on the chest and usually appear in the first or second week of life and even as late as the fourth week.

Neonatal herpes simplex can be fatal to infants infected with the disease and it is very important to treat it at the first sign of the infection.

Neonatal herpes comes in three different forms: skin, eyes and mouth herpes sometimes referred to as localized or SEM. There is also disseminated herpes or DIS, and central nervous system herpes (CNS).
SEM herpes is characterized by external lesions such as bumps and blisters but no internal organ involvement. The lesions most likely appear on trauma sites such as the attachment site of fetal scalp electrodes, forceps or vacuum extractors that are used during delivery.

DIS herpes affect internal organs, the liver in particular. CNS herpes infects the nervous system and the brain and can lead to encephalitis. Symptoms of CNS in infants are seizures, tremors, lethargy and irritability, they also don’t eat well, have unstable temperatures and the soft spot in the skull may bulge.
CNS herpes has the highest morbidity rate and DIS herpes has the highest mortality rate. SEM herpes has the best prognosis of the three infections. If SEM is left untreated it can progress to disseminated or CNS herpes.

Death from neonatal herpes has gone down to 25% in the last few decades as compared to 85% before more medical discoveries. Most infants with neonatal herpes are premature with a gestation less than 38 weeks.

Valacyclovir has been given to infants with neonatal herpes and it seems to help the breakouts occur less often letting the child live a healthy normal life.

Herpes, Valacyclovir

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Herpes Types

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:33:41 +0000

Valacyclovir treats all types of herpes viruses

When you hear the word herpes, most of us automatically think of the genital kind and associate it with unprotected sex with many partners. This isn’t true, there are many different kinds of herpes and one can get infected without have sexual intercourse with the infection.

Oral Herpes infections

Herpes simplex is more commonly known as cold sores. Inflammation of the cheeks and gums can occur while the most common symptom is painful blisters that form on the mouth and face. This infection occurs when the virus herpes simplex virus 1 and herpes simplex virus 2, comes into contact with abraded skin in the oral mucosa. Infection by the type 1 strain of herpes simplex virus is the most common cause of oral herpes, though infections by the type 2 strain are not uncommon.

When symptoms do appear, they will usually go away within two weeks, inflammation of the cheek and gums usually form about 5-10 days into the infection. Other symptoms include painful ulcers, fever and sore throat. Some people suffering from the virus may also experience difficulty swallowing and swollen lymph nodes.

Vardenafil can treat this by helping the body fight the infection and attacking the virus so it won’t spread as easy and making breakouts less frequent.

Symptoms usually begin with itching or tingling, and reddening of the skin around the infected site. Fluid filled blisters will then form on the lip tissue and the area between the lip and skin.

Genital Herpes infections

Genital herpes transmit by skin to skin contact and most commonly through sexual intercourse. When one comes in contact with the infected area and the fluid it secrets, one will usually get genital herpes.
Valacyclovir is most commonly prescribed to patients with genital herpes and works the same way it does to treat oral infections. It helps the body fight the infection and keeps it from multiplying and it also makes breakouts less frequent.

Valacyclovir is not a cure for herpes, currently there is no vaccine or cure available but, valacyclovir will help you manage it.

Herpes Whitlow

Herpes whitlow or herpetic whitlow, is a painful infection that affects the fingers or thumbs although infection can occur in the toes or on the nail cuticle. Herpes whitlow can be caused by infection HSV 1 or HSV 2. Most common sufferers of herpes whitlow are health care providers that come in contact with the virus, most commonly dental workers and medical workers exposed to the oral secretions.

Symptoms of herpes whitlow include swelling, reddening and tenderness of the skin of the infected finger or toe. Other less common symptoms include fever and swollen lymph nodes. Small clear blisters form individually then merge and become cloudy. The physical symptom is pain, the blisters usually clear up in two to three weeks.

Herpes gladiatorum

People that participate in any contact sport such as wrestling, soccer and rugby are at risk of acquiring herpes gladiatorum sometimes called wrestler’s herpes or mat herpes, herpes gladiatorum is caused by HSV 1 virus.

Abraded skin provides an area of entry for the HSV 1 virus, when participating in said sports, one is likely to get skin abrasions, if the skin then touches the skin of a person infected with herpes, it will transmit to that person.

Symptoms include ulceration of the face, ears, and neck, also fever, headache, sore throat and swollen glands. It even sometimes affects the eyes and eye lids.

Valacyclovir can help treat these many different types of herpes infections by helping the body fight off the infection and keeping it from spreading to another person or multiplying. People taking valacyclovir will also experience less breakouts, but be aware that valacyclovir does not protect against herpes nor will it protect against any other type of STD.