More than 50 types of herpes viruses have been identified, of which type I can cause infections of the human mouth, lips, nasal mucosa, conjunctiva, throat and genitals; type II mainly causes genital inflammation and herpes. Herpes viruses are DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) viruses that reproduce intracellularly and can be latent in cells after infection. Genital herpes can occur when the body’s immune system is weakened or stimulated by certain factors, such as menstrual flow, sun exposure, influenza, fever, emotional changes, and application of immunosuppressive drugs. Herpes virus infection is mainly transmitted by contact between both sexes, and patients are also most common between the ages of 14 and 29. During pregnancy, due to increased progesterone and decreased immunity of pregnant women, the infection in pregnant women is 2 to 3 times more common than in non-pregnant women. Herpes virus infection has been identified to be the culprit of cervical cancer in addition to causing local lesions, cervical inflammation, secondary infections and neurological complications, and is a significant threat to adults, especially women. The risk of herpes virus to the fetus is even more serious. It is believed that herpes virus infection is a devastating disease for fetuses and newborns. Many reports indicate that infection in early pregnancy (especially in primary infection) can cause fetal viremia, spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, congenital malformations (mainly microcephaly and microphthalmia), intrauterine growth retardation, and preterm birth, as well as recessive infection or persistent viral status. Most neonatal infections are due to vaginal delivery, and although they may be normal in appearance at birth, symptoms gradually appear within 3 weeks after delivery. There are three types of symptoms: first, herpes, which appears only on the skin, pharynx, and conjunctiva of the eyes; second, central nervous system, which shows symptoms of intracranial infection such as increased intracranial pressure and convulsions; and third, systemic diffuse, which shows symptoms of systemic toxemia such as jaundice, hepatitis, and pneumonia. In neonates with untreated herpes virus infection, 50% to 80% can die or have neurological sequelae such as microcephaly and mental retardation. The prevention of genital herpes disease lies in cutting off the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. It is important to isolate and treat patients and their spouses in an effort to reduce the source of infection. Prenatal examination of pregnant women must include detailed medical history, careful physical examination, cytological examination and virus culture. Once a pregnant woman is found to have been or is being infected with herpes virus, she needs to be placed under special intensive monitoring as a high-risk mother. If the primary infection occurs after 28 weeks of gestation, amniocentesis for viral culture is feasible. If the culture is positive, the fetus is considered to have viraemia and the prognosis is poor, and the pregnancy should be terminated promptly; if the pregnant woman has only localized damage and the amniotic fluid culture is negative, cervical secretion culture can be performed once a week (or every other week), and vaginal delivery can be considered if the culture is negative, while caesarean delivery is recommended if the culture is positive. Cesarean section is an effective method to avoid herpes virus infection in newborns, but it is better to choose the time of surgery before the rupture of the amniotic membrane, because 94% of newborns are at risk of infection if the amniotic membrane is ruptured for more than 4 hours before the cesarean section is performed. Therefore, in order to avoid the birth of unhealthy and mentally retarded children, it is important to pay attention to the prevention and treatment of herpes virus infection.