Skip to main content

Table 1 Primary behaviors for prevention of infection-caused fetal injury or death (stillbirth)

From: Reducing risks of fetal injury and stillbirths caused by infection/inflammation using healthy behaviors

Behavior

Agents/Illness

1. “Safe food” (selection, preparation, handwashing)

Listeria monocytogenes

Enteropathogens (E. coli, Salmonella ssp.)

Toxoplasma gondii

Enteroviruses

Ebola (per the CDC, Ebola is not spread in general by food; however, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bushmeat)

2. “Safe sex” (no new partners)

HSV (herpes) 1 and 2

STIs, HIV

Syphilis

Chlamydia

Gonorrhea

CMV

Ebola

3. “No (bug) bites” (zoonosis, mosquitoes, ticks, flies) and “avoid exposure to infectious animals”

Malaria

Malaria-like infections

Dengue

West Nile Virus

Tickborne infections (Rocky Mountain spotted fever, etc.)

Q fever

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)

Leptospirosis

Ebola

4. “Hygiene and oral health” (reduce body fluid exposure and bad mouth bacteria/inflammation)

CMV

HSV 1-6

Hepatitis A, B, C

Periodontal microorganisms

Ebola

5. “Pregnancy” (follow CDC-recommended protocols)

Group B Streptococcus (GBS)

Influenza

6. “Optimize pregnancy and birth management to reduce/eliminate ascending infections”

Vaginal/cervical infections

GBS protocols

Chorioamnionitis

Transfusions