Pregnant women urged to get vaccinated
POSTED August 28, 2009 - 17:32 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on August 28, 2009 - 18:02
From time to time various guidelines, advisories, do’s and don’ts are issued to the general public to keep the virus at bay.
The health officials have now urged the pregnant women and new parents to get vaccinated for the swine flu on utmost priority.
Tina Johnson of the American College of Nurse-Midwives aptly described the logic, “By not getting the flu yourself, you are going to protect your children better."
Precautions suggested for pregnant women
The mandate for the mom-to-be is that they should go in for the vaccine irrespective of the trimester they are in. Dr. Laura Riley of Massachusetts General Hospital said, “There's no benefit to waiting until you're out of the first trimester.”
People with underlying medical conditions have a high chance of contracting the swine flu. Likewise, pregnant women are more susceptible and are at much greater risk of developing severe complications from H1N1, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggested, "It's very important for pregnant women to take very seriously any respiratory infection."
Women may not stop breast-feeding even if they have contracted the swine flu. However, they need to take adequate precautions like wear a mask while being in touch with the little one. They also need to undergo regular course of Tamiflu.
Vaccine likely soon
Pharmaceutical companies are fighting against time to develop the first swine flu vaccine. Some of the companies have claimed that clinical trials are on and that they should be able to roll out the vaccine by October this year.
Experts opine that the public should go in for seasonal flu vaccinations immediately and get vaccinated for the swine flu as and when it is available.
The dreaded swine flu has cast a shadow of anxiety across the world. According to latest estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1,80,000 people have contracted the virus worldwide. The influenza has also accounted for over 1800 deaths globally.
