Neonatal herpes infection is a devastating illness with a mortality of 50% if untreated. Optimal treatment with acyclovir can reduce this to 30%, but there are substantial numbers of children left alive with severe neurological sequelae. The majority of cases of neonatal herpes infection are acquired through contact with herpes simplex virus at the time of delivery from the mother's birth canal. Other routes of infection, such as from birth attendants and relatives, have been described but are assumed to be relatively infrequent