5 Things Pregnant Women Need to Know About Ebola

There is a lot of information out there about Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, also known simply as Ebola. Typically, young, healthy people ignore illnesses, particularly when they seem to involve hospitals because young people tend to avoid hospitals because they are healthier. However, the majority of pregnant women have chosen to give birth in a hospital, which can be frightening when it comes time to give birth. Here is what you need to know before you go:

1. Protecting yourself in the hospital. When you are in the hospital to give birth, you are likely healthy. You have entered a facility with a variety of people who have a variety diseases and illnesses within that the same building. (This has always been the case.) These areas are well separated typically. Be sure to ask how the labor and delivery unit is set up to be safe from infectious disease on your hospital tour. This is not to say that there cannot be errors or breaks in protocol.  In the United States, we have single use needles, so that reduces that risk of transmission. You should also try to keep medical intervention at a minimum. Skip the extra vaginal exams, try to avoid the operating room when possible. And ask everyone who comes in to see or treat your to wash their hands in front of you.
2. There are some ways to protect your baby. If you are having a hospital birth, you will want to keep some precautions in mind, even if you’re not worried about Ebola. Keep your baby with you as much as possible and provide as much care for your baby as possible. Limiting baby’s exposure to others, particularly health care workers, will lessen their chance of an accidental exposure from a health care worker. Obviously not everything can be done by the parents, so be reasonable, and wash hands and wear gloves. Follow all of the same rules you would use to protect yourself. The same goes for your baby at home when accepting visitors.
   
3. Know the symptoms of Ebola. The symptoms typically start 2-21 days after exposure and can last 2-3 weeks. Once you have recovered from Ebola, you are not contagious. The one exception has been that semen has been found to test positive for up to three months post-illness. Signs that you have Ebola can be:
   • Fever (greater than 101.5°F (38.6°C))
   • Severe headache
   • Muscle pain
   • Weakness
   • Diarrhea
   • Vomiting
   • Abdominal (stomach) pain
   • Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)
   
   
4. It’s pretty difficult to get Ebola. Unlike something like the cold or the flu, unless you come into contact with the body fluids of someone who is actively showing symptoms of Ebola, you will not get Ebola. Much like with talk about HIV/AIDS, it’s not spread with casual contact. Ebola is not spread through the air, so simply being near someone is not going to cause someone to get Ebola.
   
5. You probably will never be exposed to Ebola. Those at the greatest risk are health care workers, particularly those working in high-risk settings, like infectious disease units, the emergency rooms, etc. If you are a health care worker in one of these settings, you will need to figure out what the best policy is for you. (Though I would still argue that other diseases are more likely to make you ill in these settings.)
   

Talk to your doctor or midwife. Tell them what your concerns are and ask how you can avoid getting sick. If you live in a high risk region like West Africa, ask your practitioner if there are special hospitals that are receiving pregnant women.
In the end, the biggest risks to you and your baby are not from Ebola. Illnesses like the flu and other contagious diseases represent a much bigger risk. Proper precautions are still helpful at setting your mind at ease.
_{Source: Ebola Virus Disease (EBD). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated 10/7/14. Last accessed 10/16/14. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/index.html.}