Trends in the incidence, mortality, and cost of neonatal herpes simplex virus hospitalizations in the United States from 2003 to 2014.

Objective: To examine the temporal trends in the incidence and outcomes of neonatal herpes simplex infections (NHSV) in the United States.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective study using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS). Neonates ≤28 days old with ICD-9 codes for NHSV (054.xx) from 2003 to 2014 were included. Trends in the incidence, mortality, length of stay (LOS), and hospital cost were analyzed using Jonckheere-Terpstra test.

Results: NHSV increased from 7.9 to 10 per 100,000 live births from 2003-05 to 2012-14 (P = 0.04). Hospital costs increased from $21,650 to $27,843; P < 0.001). The overall mortality rate and median LOS were 7.9% and 20 days, respectively and there were no significant variations across years during the study period.

Conclusions: The incidence of NHSV in the United States increased between 2003 and 2014 without a significant change in mortality. NHSV remains a serious health threat and new and effective strategies to prevent NHSV are needed.