Guidelines on the management of, and exposure to, rash illness in pregnancy (including consideration of relevant antibody screening programmes in pregnancy).

These guidelines, produced by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) aim to help decision making in the investigation and management of pregnant women who have 'a rash compatible with a systemic viral illness', or who have contact with a person with such an illness. They address particularly rubella, parvovirus B19, and varicella-zoster virus infection, but consider other infective causes of rash illness in the United Kingdom. The guidelines give the magnitude and degrees of risk to the fetus in terms of outcomes for the gestation at which maternal infection occurs. Recent changes in epidemiology and management lead to the following specific advice, which both updates and re-affirms established guidelines. All pregnant women with a non-vesicular rash illness should be investigated simultaneously for rubella and parvovirus B19 infection. All pregnant women who have had significant contact with a person suffering from a non-vesicular illness should be investigated for asymptomatic parvovirus B19 infection, and for asymptomatic rubella infection unless there is satisfactory evidence of past rubella infection (vaccine or natural infection). A significant contact is defined as being in the same room for over 15 minutes, or face-to-face contact. Specific investigation to detect asymptomatic rubella reinfection is not advised. It is essential to confirm by adequate laboratory investigation all cases of possible rubella and parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy. Management of proven rubella in pregnancy should be based on established risks of adverse outcome. Women with proven parvovirus B19 infection in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy should be followed by regular, ultrasound scanning, and referred to Regional Units of Fetal Medicine if hydrops fetalis is detected. Parvovirus B19 antibody screening in pregnancy is not advised, and consensus has been reached on the procedures to be followed for rubella antibody screening, including the concentration of antibody that reflects past infection. Oral antiviral treatment (aciclovir) is advised with informed consent for pregnant women who present within 24 hours of onset of varicella. Referral to hospital and intravenous antiviral treatment is indicated for pregnant women with complications and/or risk factors, or whose illness continues for six days or more. Pregnant women exposed to varicella or herpes zoster can be reassured as to their protection if they themselves have a history of varicella or herpes zoster. If this history is uncertain or not known, susceptibility should be tested, and varicellazoster immunoglobulin (VZIG) offered to those found susceptible if within 10 days of first exposure. Infants whose mothers develop varicella 7 days before to 7 days after delivery should be given VZIG, and aciclovir if onset was 4 days before to 2 days after delivery.