Infections during pregnancy can hurt both you and your baby. Thankfully, you can improve the chances of having a typically developing baby with a few extra precautions to avoid getting sick.
Here's what you can do while you're pregnant to protect yourself and your baby from infections.
Maintain good hygiene.Wash your hands—and your children's hands—often. If soap and running water are not available, use
hand sanitizer. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to remove germs and avoid getting sick. It can help prevent
congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV), which is the most common infectious cause of birth defects.
Cook your meat until it's well done. The meat juices should run clear and there should be no pink inside. Ground meat should be cooked to a minimum of 160°F (71° C). Cook poultry to at least 165° F (74°C). For other meat like beef and pork, cook it to a minimum of 145° F (63°C) and let it rest for several minutes after cooking. Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats or deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot. These undercooked meats and processed meats might contain harmful bacteria called
Listeria monocytogenes.
Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk and foods made from it. Do not eat soft cheeses, such as feta, brie and queso fresco, unless they have labels that say they are made from pasteurized milk.
Unpasteurized (raw) products can contain harmful bacteria.
Protect yourself against insects known to carry diseases. Infected mosquitos and other bugs such as biting midges can transmit the
oropouche virus and the
Zika virus, which are linked to birth defects.
Tick bites can spread diseases like
Lyme disease too, which can cause pregnancy complications if it's left untreated. When biting insects are active, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when you're outside. Use
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus (para-menthane-3,8-diol). Avoid traveling to areas where infections can threaten you and your baby.
Travel alert: Oropouche virus
Oropouche virus has been reported in several countries in
South America, the
Caribbean and Central America. As of Sept. 10, 2024, there have been 52 cases of Oropouche virus disease reported in U.S. travelers. Most had a fever and other symptoms that went away without treatment.
Oropouche virus is spread to people through the bite of infected biting midges and certain mosquitoes. Common symptoms include fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches and joint pain. The infection also may cause problems during pregnancy, including birth defects or death of the fetus.
The best way to avoid the disease is by
preventing bites from infected biting midges and mosquitoes. If your family is planning to travel to areas with outbreaks of Oropouche, check the U.S.
Travel Health Notices page before you go.
It is currently recommended that pregnant people reconsider travel to areas with a
Level 2
travel health notice.
Talk to your doctor about vaccinations. Some vaccines are recommended before you become pregnant,
during pregnancy, or right after delivery. Having the right vaccinations at the right time can help keep you healthy. For instance, the
flu vaccine is especially important when you're pregnant. Vaccinations can also help keep your baby from getting very sick or having life-long health problems. (See
Vaccines During Pregnancy: Keeping You & Your Baby Healthy.)
Get
tested
for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some people that have STIs do not feel sick or have any symptoms. It's important to know if you have an STI when you're pregnant. That's because an STI can have serious effects on you and your baby. Recently, there has been a sharp rise in babies born with syphilis (congenital syphilis), a life-threatening STI that can pass from parent to fetus.
If you do test positive for an STI, talk to your doctor about what you can do to protect yourself and your baby. Some STIs are treatable while you're pregnant. Be sure you're using safe sex practices to
prevent STIs.
Ask your doctor about Group B streptococcus (GBS). About 1 in 4 women carry this type of bacteria, but do not feel sick. An easy swab test near the end of your pregnancy will show if you have this type of bacteria. If you do have a
GBS infection, talk to your doctor about how to protect your baby during labor.
Avoid people who have an infection. This is especially true for infections like
chickenpox or
rubella. Chickenpox can cause pregnancy complications and birth defects; rubella can cause serious birth defects and put you at risk for miscarriage or stillbirth. Stay away from anyone who has these infections and stay up to date on vaccines before and during pregnancy.
Do not touch or change dirty
cat
litter and avoid contact with potentially contaminated soil. Have someone else do it. If you must change the litter yourself, be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards. Dirty cat litter and soil might contain a harmful parasite that causes an infection called
toxoplasmosis.
Stay away from wild or pet rodents, lizards
and turtles (and their droppings). Have a pest control professional get rid of pests in or around your home. If you have a pet rodent, like a hamster or guinea pig, have someone else care for it until after your baby arrives. Some rodents might carry a harmful virus that causes
lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM).
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