Chickenpox infection during lactation

Abstract

Varicella–zoster virus(VZV) infections may occur in females of reproductive age. Postnatal transmission occurs through respiratory droplets and contact or aerosols from the skin lesions.1 People are contagious from 1–2 days before onset of the rash until all lesions are crusted.2,3 Separation of an infant from the mother with varicella and interruption of breastfeeding are recommended while the mother is infectious. It is advised that expressed milk be given if there are no skin lesions on the breast.2,3 In the Red Book there are recommendations only for newborns whose mothers had varicella infection.4 It is difficult to find any concrete recommendation on this issue in the guidelines. Therefore case reports may be valuable to solve the controversies. Herein, we report a lactating mother with chickenpox who successfully breastfed her baby.