Contents:
- Medical Video: Infections in Pregnancy -- Natan Kraitman, MD
- Dangers of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy
- What about nursing mothers infected with toxoplasmosis?
- How do you prevent toxoplasmosis?
- 1. Be careful when raising cats
- 2. Prevent transmission from food
- 3. Pay attention when doing activities outside the home
Medical Video: Infections in Pregnancy -- Natan Kraitman, MD
Ever heard of toxoplasmosis or commonly called toxo? This is one of the diseases better known to spread through cats. In fact, not only cats can spread this disease, but also other pets, such as dogs.
Toxo can also be caused by consumption of raw or undercooked foods, contaminated kitchen utensils, consumption of unpasteurized goat's milk, or eating unwashed fruits or vegetables. Maybe toxoplasmosis is not dangerous for healthy people, but for pregnant women this is very dangerous for their babies and can have a long-term impact.
Dangers of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy
Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by parasites Toxoplasma Gondii. This disease is not dangerous, but can cause serious problems when you experience it during pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis cannot spread from person to person. However, it can spread from mother to baby in the womb during pregnancy or from blood transfusions or organs infected with Toxoplasma parasites.
This disease can endanger your baby's health while in the womb. Parasites that cause this disease can infect the placenta and the baby in the womb, so that it can cause miscarriages, stillbirths (stillbirth), brain damage, and other adverse effects.
At first, babies born to mothers who experience toxoplasmosis during pregnancy look normal. However, after a few months or a few years later, your baby may experience some problems, such as:
- Eye infection or called chorioretinitis
- Problems with hearing
- Learning disorders
- Growth delayed
Good handling can help reduce the severity of this problem. However, it would be better if you continue to prevent this disease before, during, and after pregnancy. Before pregnancy, you can vaccinate TORCH (toxoplasma, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes) to prevent this disease.
What about nursing mothers infected with toxoplasmosis?
Having toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is known to spread to your baby and endanger his health. However, what if you have toxoplasmosis while breastfeeding your baby, can it harm your baby too?
The answer is no. You can still breastfeed your baby when you have a toxoplasmosis infection. This is because toxoplasmosis can not spread to your baby through breast milk or breast milk. Even though you can get toxoplasmosis because of the consumption of unpasteurized goat's milk, but parasites Toxoplasma Gondii which causes toxoplasmosis has never been found contained in breast milk.
It might be possible for this parasite to move to your baby if your nipples are scratched and bleed or inflammation occurs in your breast for several weeks of breastfeeding. However, transmission of breast milk is still very unlikely to occur.
For those of you who have had toxoplasmosis for several years before you breastfeed, you can still give milk to your baby without worrying that your baby will be infected with this parasite. Basically, breast milk can indeed strengthen the baby's immune system and protect babies from various infectious diseases. If you're still worried, there's nothing wrong with discussing with your doctor about your choice of breastfeeding or not.
How do you prevent toxoplasmosis?
In addition to vaccinating TORCH, you can also do the things below to avoid toxoplasmosis, both before and during pregnancy.
1. Be careful when raising cats
If you keep cats at home, be careful when cleaning dirt and cages. Use gloves when cleaning and washing hands after cleaning the cage. Also, wash your hands after playing or holding a cat. Clean the cat's cage every day. It takes several days for cat feces to cause infection. Do not feed raw or undercooked meat cats. Let the cat inside the house, so keep it from infections that are transmitted by rats or birds. Also, keep cats away from the kitchen and dining table.
2. Prevent transmission from food
To prevent transmission from food, you should wash your hands before preparing or cooking food. Clean your hands after cooking and also clean all your cooking utensils. Also, wash vegetables and fruits before use, especially fruits and vegetables that you eat raw. Cook the meat until it's completely cooked. Also, avoid consuming unpasteurized goat's milk, or cheese or cream made from unpasteurized goat's milk.
3. Pay attention when doing activities outside the home
If you like gardening, wash your hands after gardening or after being exposed to soil. And, wash your hands thoroughly after you visit a playground that is outdoors where there are animals. Toxoplasmosis does not only come from cats, but also from some pets or livestock
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