Quote Originally Posted by sars_notd_virus View Post
... it can be vertically transmitted to a child if the mother got one?? ..I have a friend who always get cold sores when she feels unwell , she said she has been like that since she was little , what could possibly be the cause?
I raised this topic in response to the thread about " criminalising herpes " (http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....452#post309452) - whatever next ? - to put the record straight.
Your friend will have acquired the cold sores, which, like genital herpes, can be reactivated by stress, illness, immunosuppression, menstruation, or ( in the case of cold sores ) sunlight.
Genital herpes in pregnancy - very uncommon ( 1:60,000 births ) - can cause neonatal herpes which IS serious and can be life-threatening. The risk is greatest when the woman acquires a new infection ( with either virus type ) in the last trimester. The risk is of perinatal ( " vertical " ) transmission from the Mum's genital tract. Caesarian section is then indicated. Mums diagnosed in the first two trimesters would probably be given antiviral treatment ( acyclovir, not known to harm the foetus ) and procede to vaginal delivery at term.