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Caring for the Infectious Patient: Risk Factors During Pregnancy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Inge Gurevich  and
Patricia Tafuro
Inge Gurevich*
Affiliation:
Infection Control Section, Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Nassau Hospital, Mineola, New York
Patricia Tafuro
Affiliation:
Infection Control Section, Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Nassau Hospital, Mineola, New York
*
Infection Control Practitioner, Nassau Hospital, 259 First Street, Mineola, NY 11501
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Abstract

Health care personnel are exposed to infectious diseases in the community as well as in the health care setting when they care for patients with transmissible conditions. Pregnant nurses, physicians and others face an additional risk—that of exposing their unborn children to some of these infections. Risk factors vary greatly between diseases and it is, therefore, important that each be evaluated and acted upon realistically. We will discuss and compare the risk of infections such as hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis, chickenpox, and others. With this knowledge, administrators and personnel involved will be able to make decisions about which patients should not be cared for by pregnant personnel, and which areas pose too high a risk for the mother and child so that a temporary transfer may be advisable. We address the multiplicity of preventive measures available for the prevention of maternal infections.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 5 , Issue 10 , October 1984 , pp. 482 - 488
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1984

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