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Pregnant women in Ireland urged to get flu jab

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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Swine Flu vaccination, “Pandemrix” confirmed start October 26th

A pregnant teen who died on thursday from Swine Flu, (H1N1) became the 106th British confirmed death from H1N1. The Department of Health announced that a national vaccination campaign will start on October 26th using the GlaxoSmithKline product, “Pandemrix”.

Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson said that patients deemed “at risk”, such as pregnant women will begin receiving a jab. Six woman have died while pregnant or after giving birth as a result of contracting the Swine Flu virus and estimates are that about 370,000 people have contracted Swine Flu in Britain.

There have been 83 deaths in England, 15 in Scotland, 4 in Wales and 4 in Northern Ireland.

On vaccinations for mothers-to-be, Sir Liam said: “While the disease is mild for the majority of people including pregnant women, pregnant women are at higher risk of complications caused by flu. I know they wish to reduce risks to themselves and their unborn babies and therefore the sensible thing would be to have the vaccine. I do not want to see pregnant women dying from a preventable disease.”

The World Health Organisation updated its guidance for expectant mothers yesterday to support the use of Pandemrix. It said: “The World Health Organisation supports the use of vaccines as recommended by functional regulatory authorities. The GSK [GlaxoSmithKline] vaccine has been licensed for use in pregnant women in Europe, as of September 2009.”

The vaccine will also be offered to frontline health workers.

         

CDC Reports 28 Deaths of Pregnant Women from H1N1

Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported to FOXNews.com that approximately 700 caes of 2009 H1N1 have been reported in pregnant women since late April or early May.  Tom Skinner, spokesman for the CDC stated, “There have been about 100 pregnant women admitted to intensive care units and there have been 28 pregnant women who have died from 2009 H1N1.”

Pregnant women have a greater chance of serious health problems if they get the flu, and they are more likely to be admitted to a hospital or die than other patients.  Getting a flu shot can protect both the pregnant woman and her baby.  Pregnant women who have had a flu shot get sick less often than women who did not get a flu shot.  The same applies to their unborn children.

Dr. Anne Schuchat is Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, and she is understandably upset concerning this information.  Dr. Schuchat urges pregnant women to get both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 vaccine.  She further stated, “It’s safe and effective and we think it’s important to get this (H1N1) vaccine as soon as it’s available.”

Flu shots have not been shown to cause harm to pregnant women or their babies.  The 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine is being manufactured at the same places where the seasonal flu vaccine is made.  Millions of pregnant women have had flu vaccines in recent years.

Nasal Mist Vaccine NOT approved for Pregnant Women

There are daily reports concerning the local availability of flu shots and nasal spray vaccines.  Pregnant women should get the flu shot given with a needle.  The nasal spray vaccine is NOT approved for pregnant women. Nasal spray flu vaccine should only be given to healthy people ages 2-49 who are not pregnant.  It is safe for women to get the nasal spray vaccine after they deliver, even if they are nursing.

For more information, talk to your doctor.  You may also visit http://www.flu.gov or http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pregnancy/ to learn more.