Prevention and management of VZV infection during pregnancy and the perinatal period

[Display omitted] •A chickenpox is more severe in pregnant women than in adults; it exposes the unborn child to three risks: congenital varicella syndrome, potentially severe varicella, and herpes zoster.•In the event of VZV exposure in a non-immunized pregnant woman, prophylaxis consists in anti-VZV immunoglobulins during the ten days following contact (0.5 to 1 ml /kg, IVL).•Maternal chickenpox during the seven days before / after birth can lead to severe neonatal chickenpox; this justifies administration of anti-VZV immunoglobulins to the newborn as soon as possible following birth (10 days maximum).•This timeframe should be extended to 21 days before delivery for infants born before 28 weeks of amenorrhea or weighing less than 1000 g at birth.