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Pregnant women in Ireland urged to get flu jab
October 24, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under News, Pregnancy
Pregnant women four times more likely to have complications during pregnancy if the swine flu is contracted warned a medical expert.
Experts in the medical field have tried to put any fears over the H1N1 vaccination to rest stating that it would be far more dangerous for expectant mothers contract the illness than to suffer from any side effects from the vaccine.
Dr. Michael O’Connell, of Dublin’s Coombe Hospital, urged women to get the jab, echoing the sentiments of The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
Warning that as many as 21,000 pregnant women in Ireland could contract the virus—10 percent possibly requiring hospitalization—Dr. Michael O’Connell promises that he’s “not trying to scaremonger.”
“This is to try to give advice on the best thing to do, and our feeling at this stage to prevent this is to take the vaccine,” said Dr. O’Connell.
“This disorder is serious enough that if you get the serious end of the spectrum it can potentially be fatal.”
The recommendation comes on the heels of the death of a 14-year-old boy in the Republic yesterday while another pregnant woman fights to survive in a different hospital.
There are currently two H1N1 vaccines licensed in Ireland for widespread use. Pandemrix is on the market, and nearly half of all GPs in Ireland had received the vaccine by yesterday. Another vaccine, Celvapan, will be available in the near future. Dr. O’Connell reassured that both vaccines are safe for expectant and breastfeeding mothers.
“If this was not a potentially serious disease you could have a discussion as to the merits of the vaccine,” stated Dr. O’Connell.
“But this is potentially a very serious disease for pregnant women, and on that basis the vaccine should be taken once available. Pregnant women are worried but worrying unnecessarily. I think they should be a lot more worried about a severe form of this disease.”
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