Can herpes kill a pregnant woman and her child?

While herpes is a serious infection and can be dangerous to pregnant women and their children, it is unlikely to be fatal. Most people with herpes will experience mild to moderate symptoms that will go away on their own. However, in some cases, herpes can cause more severe complications, such as encephalitis (a swelling of the brain) and meningitis (an inflammation of the membranes that line the brain and spinal cord). These complications can be life-threatening, but they are rare.

For pregnant women, herpes can cause a number of problems, including:

* Miscarriage

* Premature birth

* Low birth weight

* Neonatal herpes (herpes infection in a newborn baby)

Neonatal herpes is the most serious complication of herpes in pregnancy. It can cause a number of problems, including:

* Skin lesions

* Eye infections

* Brain damage

* Hearing loss

* Death

There is no cure for herpes, but there are treatments that can help to manage the symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. If you are pregnant and have herpes, it is important to talk to your doctor about your treatment options.