Pregnant? Get a flu shot

Pregnant women should lead the way in getting flu vaccinations because they are at greater risk than most of becoming extremely ill from influenza.

It's not clear why pregnant women are more vulnerable to flu viruses, but physicians say it's true of both the regular, seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu.

“So this is a group that needs to be at the front of the line when it comes to vaccine availability,” said Dr. Mark Rupp, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Federal health officials say that pregnant women are one of the priority groups for the H1N1 vaccine, which is expected to become available in mid-October. Other groups include children and young adults.

Vaccinations for the seasonal flu are available now from some clinics and providers.

Many pregnant women are reluctant to take medications because they fear that the drugs will not be good for their babies. In the case of flu vaccinations, they should resist that notion and get the shots, physicians say.

Jaci Twidwell, whose first baby is due on Halloween, is serious about remaining flu-free. “I definitely worry about it,” said Twidwell, 27.

Twidwell, a marketing coordinator, said she doesn't want any more medication in her body than is necessary.

“I haven't taken anything except Tylenol — because my doctor said I could,” she said.

She'll make an exception for a seasonal flu vaccination, she said, to protect herself and her baby. She'll talk to her physician about an H1N1 vaccination, too.

Her husband has sniffled and coughed lately, and they are worried he's coming down with the flu. “We're doing a lot of hand-washing and sterilizing of surfaces around the house,” she said.

Dr. Archana Chatterjee, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Creighton University's School of Medicine, said there is only speculation on why the flu can be especially hard on pregnant women. Chatterjee said that the problem doesn't involve a higher rate of pregnant women getting the flu, but rather that it hits some more intensely once they have it.

Chatterjee said the risk to the baby increases with the severity of illness of the mother. She said there have been stories of pregnant women dying of H1N1 but the baby coming out OK after cesarean-section delivery.

Chatterjee and Dr. Anne O'Keefe of the Douglas County Health Department said pregnant women's immune systems apparently are somewhat weakened.

Rupp said the fetus also presses upward, decreasing the lungs' efficiency, and the heart works harder because blood volume increases during pregnancy.

Physicians also recommend that pregnant women who feel flu symptoms coming on immediately report them to their health care provider and obtain an anti-viral medicine, such as Tamiflu. The medicines work best when taken within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms, so the patient needs to get in quickly.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that early in the H1N1 outbreak this year, 11 of 34 pregnant women with H1N1 had to be hospitalized.

Other studies have shown that the rates of hospitalization for pregnant women with seasonal flu in their third trimester are much higher than for women who aren't pregnant.

Contact the writer:

444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com

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