foodconsumer.org: Comment: What can pregnant women do to prevent h1n1?

Comment: What can pregnant women do to prevent h1n1?
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admin on 10/23/2009 04:58:00
 
The official death toll from h1n1 flu and its complications among pregnant women
as of Oct 10 is at least 28, Washington Post reported citing official data.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention never says whether these women
had had any underlying health conditions.  Because this information has never
been released, it's safe to assume that at least most pregnant women had medical
conditions.  If that is not the case, the CDC would be every happy to tell
everyone that at least most of the victims were healthy. This can help promote
the national vaccination campaign.
Anyway, there is very tiny risk for CERTAIN pregnant women.  But I do not
believe that every woman is at the same risk. Logically those who have health
conditions that compromise their immunity should be at higher risk.  Medical
experts would love to tell you that pregnant women at higher risk because their
immune systems are slow in responding to h1n1 virus and other types of flu and
therefore they are more likely than others to have severe complications.  That
may be true, but still cannot explain why one pregnant woman died while another
one didn't.
The CDC says that getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent h1n1.  But a few
things that the health agency does not tell you is that no trial has been
completed just yet that involved pregnant women. In other words, the safety and
efficacy of any of the four approved h1n1 vaccines in pregnant women remains
unknown. The government and its officials only say h1n1 vaccines are made in the
same way as the seasonal flu vaccine is and they expect that the h1n1 vaccine is
as safe and effective.
To say the least, the efficacy of seasonal flu vaccine is not that great and
seldom exceeds 45 percent because often times the dead or live yet attenuated
virus used in the vaccine does not match the circulating strain well. That is
why many people who get vaccinated against seasonal flu still get it anyway.
Pregnant women may have another reason to worry about vaccination.  There is no
hard evidence to demonstrate that the h1n1 vaccine is safe for fetuses.  One
thing that potentially affects neurological development in the fetus and
deserves pregnant women's attention is that mercury is present in the h1n1
vaccine that comes from the 10-dose pack. Of course, it's always official that
mercury in vaccines is safe even though many are not convinced.
Pregnant women are not stupid.  Their intuition likely works better than others
even if they do not have much of the knowledge that they need to know.  They do
their homework and know what they need to do.  That is why only about 15 percent
pregnant women choose to get vaccinated against flu ini any given year compared
to 30 percent of the general population, according to a report released today by
Los Angeles Times.
On the other hand, no one can say h1n1 vaccine does not work for all pregnant
women.  At least I believe women who have serious health conditions that are
known to raise risk of complications from any type of infection should
communicate with their doctors diligently.
For healthy women, h1n1 vaccine may not be as important.  Indeed the risk
compared to other death causes is negligible.   In the U.S. about 30,000 infants
younger than 6 months or 0.6 percent of infants in that age group die each year
from all causes.  Motor vehicle traffic crashes killed 43,200 people in 2005. 
Not to mention the risk of death from other chronic diseases like cancer, heart
disease and diabetes.
Getting vaccinated or not is a personal choice.  But pregnant women need to know
that vaccine has its limitations while evidence has emerged to suggest that
simple lifestyle modifications may give pregnant women an unexpected protection.
Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert and president of Vitamin D council,
reported in his newsletter that two physicians have recently observed evidence
indicating that taking high doses of vitamin D can be extremely effective in
preventing flu including h1n1 virus.
In a recently completed clinical trial, Dr. Bruce Hollis and Dr. Carol Wagner of
the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston demonstrated that pregnant
women who took 4,000 IUs per day of vitamin D starting at about three months of
pregnancy were 25 percent less likely to get infection, particularly respiratory
infections such as colds and flu as well as infections of the vagina and the
gums.
Pregnant women don't have to take vitamin D as a preventative measure against
h1n1 flu.  They would better take it as a nutrient for the sake of their babies'
well-being.  Studies have shown deficiency of this vitamin can negatively alter
fetuses' brain development.
By David Liu davidl at foodconsumer dot org