By Angus Dalton,Kate Aubusson

Copyright brisbanetimes

The discovery that a mother’s fever can cause problems for her unborn baby was made by a University of Sydney veterinarian, Professor Marshall J. Edwards, who in the 1970s first noticed hyperthermic cows often miscarried or gave birth to abnormal calves.

His observation led to the understanding that fever is a “tetragen” – something that leads to birth defects or abnormalities in a fetus.

“That was really important, and from there we realised we need to be treating women who had a fever,” says Debra Kennedy, Associate Professor at UNSW’s School of Women’s and Children’s Health. High fever in early pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, neural tube defects, cleft palate and heart defects.