In:

American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

Author:

Gil Mor

Viral infections present a global challenge, and their critical impact on global health is even more significant when the outcome is associated with detrimental effects in pregnant women and newborn infants.

The recent Ebola epidemic was responsible for increased maternal mortality. Mortality among preg- nant women was found to be higher than in the general population or non-pregnant women. In the 1976 epidemic, 46% of the 177 Ebola-infected women were pregnant and the overall mortality among those women was 89%. A major clinical manifestation was vaginal and uterine bleeding with 93% mortality within 10 days of illness onset.1,2 Moreover, a significant increase in preterm birth and spontaneous abortion has been reported within the different epidemics.3,4

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