The Centers for Disease Control issued a recommendation that pregnant women be given priority for swine flu vaccination. The recommendation came down in light of new data from the CDC that shows that pregnant women infected by the H1N1 virus were hospitalized at a much higher rate than the general population during the first wave of swine flu.
The study was published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, but NPR reports that it may be difficult to convince pregnant women, and their doctors, to vaccinate. Even after the CDC increased its focus on getting pregnant women vaccinated against the seasonal flu, fewer than 15 percent get flu shots.
"There's a real hesitancy on the part of pregnant women to take anything during pregnancy," says Dr. Denise Jamieson, an author of the new CDC study. "A lot of women want to avoid all medications and all exposures."
According to that study, there were 45 deaths reported in the first two months of the outbreak, six of which were pregnant women. That rate is 13 times higher than the number of pregnant woman in the country compared to the total population. Experts fear the rate could increase during the fall and winter, when a higher rate of H1N1 infections are expected.
Dr. John Treanor, a vaccine expert at the University of Rochester, said that his experience with past flu vaccines points to the swine flu vaccine's safety. "I think there is accumulated evidence that the vaccine is safe in pregnancy," he said.
Dr. Iffath Hoskins, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn saw first-hand this spring what the new pandemic virus can do to healthy pregnant women who start out with ordinary flu symptoms. "We've seen them get very sick, very quickly," says Hoskins.
Jamieson said that most pregnant women who get infected only experience mild symptoms like fever and a cough like most of the general population, adding that the CDC doesn't have any additional recommendations for pregnant women to avoid catching swine flu. However, if they do manage to catch the virus, doctors should act quickly, ideally within 48 hours of displaying symptoms.
"The message is don't delay appropriate treatment because she's pregnant," she said.
Resources
Additional swine flu information is available through
the CDC.
Explore the Livestrong Influenza topic page
here.
--By Charity Scott
Over a month after the World Health Organization declared the spread of the Novel H1N1 influenza virus, widely known as the swine flu, had reached Phase 6 pandemic levels. This designation says that a widespread pandemic outbreak is underway. It does not address the severity or deadliness of the disease. Currently, over 70 countries have reported outbreaks.
H1N1 Virus Symptoms
Symptoms are similar to that of the seasonal flu, and include cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, chills fatigue, diarrhea, headache and vomiting. Just as with the seasonal flu, there have been some deaths associated resulting from the virus.
Preventing/Containing the Swine Flu
The disease is contagious, and many pharmaceutical companies are fast-tracking a vaccine. In the meantime, the Center for Disease Control has released a number of preventative measures that should be followed to reduce the chances of contracting the virus:
• Keep tissues with you, so you can cover your nose and mouth with it when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away after using it.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze or if you handle communal property. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can also be useful, but remember to rub your hands until the gel is dry.
• Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Avoid being in close proximity to people with the virus.
• If you get sick, try to limit your contact with others as much as possible. Stay home for seven days after you begin displaying symptoms or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. You should not leave your house unless you need professional medical care. If a family member gets sick, you can still go to work, but you should monitor your health carefully.
• Prepare your household in case anyone in it gets sick and need to stay home for a week or so. Keep a stock of over-the-counter medicines, tissues, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other items that might be needed. Keeping this supply on hand will reduce the need to make trips outside while being sick and contagious.
• The CDC recommends the using oseltamivir or zanamivir to prevent and/or treat an infection of the H1N1 flu virus.
When Emergency Medical Attention is Needed
There are several signs that a person that has contracted the H1N1 virus needs emergency medical attention. These signs vary for children and adults:
In children:
• Fast breathing or struggling to breath
• Skin discoloration, Bluish or gray
• If they stop drinking enough fluids, dehydration
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting with others
• Being very irritable, does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms seem to improve, but then fever and cough returns
In adults:
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms seem to improve, but then fever and cough returns
Resources
Explore the topic of Influenza
here.
--By Charity Scott
