Not only is she at risk for pneumonia caused by the chickenpox virus, the fetus is at risk for infection in the womb (congenital varicella syndrome) up until 20 weeks gestation. Congenital varicella causes multiple birth defects, such as skin scarring and malformed limbs. It is fortunately very, very rare. Newborn infants whose mothers develop chickenpox five days before or two days after birth are at highest risk of severe chickenpox.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough or 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initially, symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough.This is then followed by weeks of severe coughing fits.ertussis, also known as whooping cough or 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease.
Bordetella pertussis is a highly contagious bacterium known to cause pertussis (whooping cough) and is transmitted via airborne droplets. Although childhood vaccination has dramatically reduced reported pertussis cases, the incidence of the disease has increased over the past 20 years, most notably in previously immunized adolescents and adults.