KOLKATA: If a pregnant woman contracts dengue she can give birth to a stillborn child or one with low birth weight. But more dangerously, the newborn may get the disease in the mother’s womb and that can prove fatal for the child. Fortunately, the baby born to the Howrah woman, who died of dengue on Sunday, has recovered. Though the count was not high, kids born with dengue could fell prey to the disease, said experts.A pregnancy could be terminaterd if dengue is detected in an early stage, said Fortis Hospital internal medicine consultant Joydeep Ghosh. “If the mother gets dengue within three-four weeks of pregnancy, abortion can be carried out. If the pregnancy is nearing full term and the baby is fully formed, then it contracts the virus from the mother. This could be dangerous for the child unless the disease is diagnosed quickly and treated,” said Ghosh.But dengue contracted in the womb could be cured, pointed out Shyamasis Banerjee, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital consultant. “The key is to detect the disease and start treatment. Any disease or viral infection could be fatal for a newborn. But once detected, there is no reason why it cannot be cured,” he said. He also pointed out that dengue at an young age did not have a long-term impact. “It is just a viral infection that can be cured completely. There is no carryover effect,” Banerjee added.As there is no fool-proof prevention for dengue, pregnant women need to be careful. “The measures recommended are the same for everyone. But it is important for pregnant women to follow them religiously. They should make sure they don’t get mosquito bites. It is easier said than done but that is the most important prevention,” said AMRI Hospital consultant Debashish Saha.But an infected mother may not necessarily pass on the virus to the unborn child. In fact, the chances are considered low. And the virus doesn’t spread through breast milk. “It is healthy even if a dengue-infected mother breastfeeds as breast milk is essential for the child. But an infected mother may not always be fit to feed,” said Ghosh.While a woman from Howrah died of dengue on Sunday after giving birth to her son, also down with the disease, a similar case was reported six years ago at a private hospital in Kolkata. Even in that case, the mother died, while the child survived.

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