Managing exposure to chickenpox during pregnancy. New program

Every year several of my pregnant patients ask me what to do about being exposed to a child who later comes down with chickenpox. What is your recommendation? Whether or not a mother had chickenpox in childhood often does not accurately determine her immunity. A rapid test, such as the latex agglutination test, is useful. If test results are negative, or if testing is not feasible, varicella zoster immunoglobulin should be administered within 96 hours of exposure.