Prevention of post-natal acquisition of neonatal herpes: evaluation of an educational tool for pregnant women compared to routine prenatal care.

UNLABELLED: Neonatal herpes is a rare but severe viral infection. In France, recent data indicate a shift toward predominantly postnatal transmission, contrary to earlier literature which primarily reported perinatal cases. Unlike perinatal herpes, specific guidelines for preventing postnatally acquired neonatal herpes (PNH) are lacking, despite it being largely preventable through basic hygiene. Consequently, an educational tool (ET) was developed to inform pregnant women. This study aims. to evaluate the association between the ET and pregnant women's knowledge regarding PNH prevention, and to assess its acceptability among patients and healthcare professionals (HPs). In this prospective multicentric study, a PNH questionnaire was distributed to women during postpartum hospitalization. Based on self-reported exposure during routine prenatal care, participants were categorized into an unexposed control group (Group 1, n = 500) and an ET-exposed group (Group 2, n = 200). Baseline knowledge was limited: in Group 1, 38.6% of women were unaware of transmission via cold sores, and 70.5% ignored the infection's potential severity. Exposure to the ET (Group 2) was associated with significantly higher knowledge scores regarding transmission routes and preventive measures compared to Group 1 (e.g., p < 0.001). Exposed women reported high motivation to implement preventive behaviors (94.5%) and promote them within their families (98.0%). Among participating HPs, the ET was deemed highly adapted to their patients, with 92.3% intending continued use. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal knowledge regarding PNH transmission and prevention remains limited but can be improved through targeted education. Integrating a low-cost, accessible ET into routine prenatal care effectively raises awareness. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Neonatal herpes is increasingly acquired postnatally, yet there is a marked lack of awareness regarding postnatally acquired neonatal herpes (PNH) and its prevention. • It is preventable through simple hygiene, yet maternal awareness remains critically low. WHAT IS NEW: • An educational tool (ET) is associated with enhanced knowledge among pregnant women regarding PNH preventive strategies. • The tool highly motivates mothers to implement household-wide hygiene measures.