2022 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 18-23
Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is an airborne infection. Since almost all Japanese NICUs are shared rooms, there is a high risk of horizontal transmission of disease. However, there are no guidelines on the prevention of horizontal infection in the NICU. One mother who delivered a very low-birth-weight infant in our hospital had contact with her infant without realizing that she had breakthrough chickenpox. A hospitalization limit of 28 days from the date of visit was enforced to prevent infection. Acyclovir or Valaciclovir were administered to all children in our NICU to prevent horizontal transmission of infection. Gamma-globulin was administered to infants who were in contact with the mother, with herpes zoster, and with no history of chickenpox or chickenpox vaccination. The mother had no history of chickenpox or chickenpox vaccination, and her husband received two doses of chickenpox vaccine. Only parents with a known history of chickenpox, those who had received two doses of chickenpox vaccine, and those who have antibodies to chickenpox were allowed to visit the hospital. Parents who did not meet these conditions but wanted to visit the hospital got tested for chickenpox antibody titers. Eleven patients did not meet these conditions, and on testing, they were confirmed as positive for varicella antibodies. No infants or parents in our NICU were infected.
Horizontal transmission can be prevented by individual measures.
