Infections

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Rubella (German Measles)

If you plan to become pregnant for the first time, you should check to see if you are immune to rubella before becoming pregnant. See your practice nurse for a 'pre-pregnancy' blood test. Most women are immune to rubella as they have been immunised as a child. However, childhood immunisation does not work in every child and you may not be immune. If you are not immune, you can be immunised. (But, you should not become pregnant for one month after the injection, and ideally until your immunity has been confirmed by a further blood test.)

The rubella virus causes a mild illness, but can seriously damage an unborn baby, especially in the early stages of growth. So, until you know that you are immune (from the result of the blood test), you should avoid anyone who has rubella, especially in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy.

Toxoplasmosis

This germ is commonly found in raw meat, sheep, lambs, and cat faeces. It can sometimes cause serious harm to an unborn baby. To avoid it:

Wash your hands after handling raw meat. Do not eat raw or undercooked (rare) meat.
Wash salads and vegetables as any dirt may have been contaminated by cat faeces.
Wash your hands after handling cats and kittens.
If possible, get someone else to clean out any cat litter trays when you are pregnant.
Always wear gloves when gardening.
Avoid sheep, especially during the lambing season.

Hepatitis B

A mother who is infected with hepatitis B has a high risk of passing it on to her new-born baby. If you are at high risk of catching hepatitis B you should be immunised against this virus before becoming pregnant. You are at increased risk and should be immunised if:

Your job puts you at risk of contracting hepatitis B. For example, health-care personnel and staff at day care or residential centres.
You inject street drugs.
You change sexual partners frequently.
You live in close contact with someone infected with hepatitis B.

Chickenpox

Having chickenpox when pregnant can be a nasty illness, and there is some risk to the developing baby. A vaccine is offered to healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, etc) who have not previously had chickenpox and so are not immune and may catch chickenpox. (About 1 in 10 adults have not had chickenpox as a child.) Therefore, non-immune healthcare workers should consider having this vaccination before getting pregnant. If you are not sure if you have had chickenpox, a blood test can check if you have previously had it.

Read on for info about work and pregnancy