Jul 09
29
CDC Report – Swine Flu & Pregnant Women
According to a new report released from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) pregnant women who experience flu like symptoms should seek treatment immediately and that treatment should not be delayed pending N1H1 test results.
Of the 266 known swine flu deaths in the US 6% of the deaths (15) were pregnant women. Pregnant women who get infected with the flu are at increased risk of serious illness and hospitalization. In fact, the second H1N1 flu death in the United States was a pregnant woman. Because of this greater risk, pregnant women are advised to get annual flu vaccinations. On the other hand, pregnant women also are advised to be very cautious when taking any medications—especially the newest ones—because of unknown health risks to the developing fetus. What’s more, many folks remember the 1976 swine flu vaccination fiasco, when some 500 Americans out of the 43 million vaccinated developed a rare paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome that may have been linked to the shot. Just today, public health experts said that there’s no way to know if any rare side effects will occur in the new vaccine until millions of people are vaccinated. Those unknowns would make an expectant mom especially nervous.
Pregnant women have long been known to be at increased risk for adverse effects from seasonal influenza, and health authorities recommend every year that all pregnant women be vaccinated. The vaccine protects not only the mother but also her baby. A study conducted in Bangladesh and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last year found that vaccination for seasonal flu reduced flu in infants by 63%. Even so, only about an estimated 15% receive the shots. The women are thought to be at risk of developing pneumonia — and dying – because of changes to their lungs and immune system that are a normal part of pregnancy, and many physicians fear that the risk is even higher with H1N1. In fact, British and Swiss health authorities have notoriously argued that women should postpone getting pregnant until after the pandemic has passed.
Pregnant women who want to avoid the compound, however, may need to search a bit to find a doctor who stocks thimerosal-free versions of both flu vaccines. Most gynecologists don’t bother because the CDC doesn’t say there’s any need for pregnant women to avoid thimerosal. John Iskander, the previous head of immunization safety at the CDC, told me last fall that the reason the agency doesn’t recommend thimerosal-free vaccines is because “there’s still not enough women receiving the flu vaccine, and we don’t want to throw up another barrier in the vaccination process.” Most likely, the CDC will recommend that pregnant women get both vaccines this fall, but the agency hasn’t yet finalized its recommendations for at-risk groups (including mothers-to-be).
It is expected that the H1N1 virus will resurface in the spring and many believe it will do so with a vengeance. Our advice, as always, is for everyone, especially those who are in high risk groups, to be proactive and begin to build up your immune systems now. With this end in mind we suggest that you visit our site and read the article posted about the product; Zradical by Xymetri Products.
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