Screening for infection in pregnancy

Winchester Travel Health takes the lead

For the first time a local clinic is able to offer full infection screening for women who are planning a pregnancy. Pregnant women are frequently concerned about picking up germs which may affect their baby. Bugs that have caused concern are parvovirus which causes slapped cheek syndrome in children, varicella causing chicken pox and toxoplasma acquired from cats and soil. Contact with these infections in pregnancy results in additional tests and sometimes treatments which can cause much anxiety to the pregnant mum. There is routine screening in pregnancy in the NHS for hepatitis B, HIV, rubella and syphilis but screening for these additional infections is not routinely available yet.

It is much better to be prepared and forewarned. In response to concerns, Winchester Travel Health has introduced a programme of screening for all these infections and is recommending that this is done when women are considering pregnancy. Appointments can be made by calling the clinic on 01962 856646

Dr Matthew Dryden, Medical Director at the clinic, said “Although all pregnant women are offered a screening test DURING pregnancy for hepatitis, rubella, syphilis and HIV, these other infections – chicken pox, parvovirus and toxoplasma – worry a lot of women and these tests are not available in routine screening. We are suggesting that women should be screening when they are planning pregnancy. That way they can be reassured if they are immune and forewarned if they are not. Also, if they are not immune to the chicken pox virus, there is a vaccine to help protect them.”

The clinic has also introduced a range of other screening tests such as checking for immunity to measles, mumps and rubella, Lyme disease tests, HIV testing, Chlamydia and a range of other screening tests in addition to its vaccination and travel health service. It is also one of the few clinics in Hampshire offering the broader Gardasil cervical cancer vaccination against human papilloma virus strains associated with cancer of the cervix and genital warts.

The service is based in Staple Gardens at the top of Winchester High Street and provides;

• Travel health advice
• Vaccinations
• Malaria Prophylaxis and medical kits
• Post travel health screening and medical consultations

Contact

Contact Joanna Lowry, Practice Manager on 01962 856646

J.Lowry@WinchesterTravelHealth.co.uk