Valtrexが新生児へのHSV感染↓

「出産時にヘルペスが活動的であれば、新生児へのHSV感染リスクが高まる」ことは、比較的知られていることかと思います。特に、新生児が通る産道や母親の性器周辺でヘルペスウィルスが盛んに活動している時に出産すると、新生児への感染確率が高いと言われてきたというわけです…。


この感染リスクを避けるために、これまでは帝王切開（caesarean sections）が行われてきたようで、出産前にヘルペスウィルスの活動が高まったようであれば、「それでは、帝王切開しましょう」というような対応であったようです。


今回、カナダ（多分…）のUT Southwestern Medical Centerが実施した調査によると、HSVに感染している妊婦にバルトレックスを処方したところ、出産時のHSV感染リスクが少なくなったということのようです…。

バルトレックスは、みなさんもご存知かと思いますが、HSV２による痛み・かゆみ・潰瘍の形成などを抑えてくれる薬で、「ヘルペス治療の最前線」で活躍している抑制薬（残念ながら、治療薬ではありません…） です。この薬を出産前に処方・服薬することで、新生児への感染が少なくなるわけですから、帝王切開という非常に大きな負担を母体にかけることも少なくなると思われます。

現在、AIC316などの抑制薬や各種HSVワクチンの開発が進められていますが、将来的には母体からの感染を気にすることなく、出産に臨める日が来るかもしれないですね！


Study shows anti-herpes drug helps unborn child

http://www.accessrx.com/blog/current-health-news/anti-herpes-drug-l0829

Posted on August 29, 2011 by lisaf

According to the Centers for Disease Control more than 400,000 people have seen a doctor to treat genital herpes. While the number of patients did decline in 2009, the number is slowly on the rise again.

Treatment

For some patients suffering with genital herpes an anti-viral medication called Valtrex is prescribed. While this medication does not cure the disease, it does ease the pain and itching caused by it. The medication can also help heal sores.

New findings

Now research has shown that pregnant women taking Valtrex lowers the rate of caesarean sections to avoid passing the disease to the baby. The study shows the herpes virus is less likely to be passed on the child during delivery if the mom is taking the anti-herpes medication. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center made this discovery.

“I think this will help immensely in giving doctors stronger evidence in using this treatment,” said Dr. Jeanne Sheffield, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UT Southwestern and lead author of the study. “Besides reducing the number of herpes outbreaks at birth, we also dropped the numbers of women without symptoms who were shedding the virus into the birth canal.”

Current procedures

“In rare cases, infants can catch herpes simplex virus from the birth canal or genital region of the mother during birth, even when the mother isn’t showing symptoms,” the press release stated. “Current medical protocol is to offer C-sections to all women with active genital herpes lesions at the time of delivery.” Nonetheless, 70 percent of neonatal herpes cases occur in infants of women who shed the virus near delivery, according to the researchers.

Future help

“The whole goal of this study was to reduce active genital herpes lesions at delivery that require a Caesarean delivery to prevent neonatal herpes,” Dr. Sheffield said. “This study show offer some reassurance and confidence to those dealing with genital herpes.”