Pregnancy and Swine Flu – Are Pregnant Women at More Risk With Swine Flu?

Some complications among pregnant women as the Swine Flu continue to spread across the country, and soon to the world, and that this high-risk group needs to take antivirals as soon as infection is suspected.  Just like what happen to a pregnant woman in Texas who suffers and died of Swine Flu infection.  Medical officials believe that pregnant women are at higher risk of complications of influenza, whether it’s the seasonal influenza or pandemics of the past.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigates twenty cases of pregnant women with the swine flu, most of them experienced complications.  Complications can include pneumonia, dehydration and premature birth.  It is very important that doctors who are caring for pregnant women they suspect may have influenza, that they issue prompt treatment with antiviral medicines – the Tamiflu and the Relenza.  Doctors can be hesitant to take care of pregnant women with antiviral drugs and pregnant women may be disinclined to take them out of fear that they may pose a risk during pregnancy.

The benefits of using the antiviral drugs to treat influenza in a pregnant woman outweigh the theoretical concerns about the drugs strongly say by the medical experts who have looked into this situation.  Of the three swine-flu related deaths in the United States, one involved a 33-year-old pregnant woman from Texas who had other health problems before she was infected with the virus.

From the undetermined source that only one out of three Americans would get Swine Flu vaccine.  So, it means the vaccine manufacturers have no enough capability to do more drugs against the outbreak.
There are many people who become ill don’t seek medical attention and are never tested for this strain of flu especially if they only knew that they only have simple kind of flu.

In other news that we’ve read about the number of Swine Flu cases from hospital records doesn’t match with the real numbers suspected because they declined to seek medical attention.

The report also suggested that the true number of – largely unreported – swine flu infections in Mexico, the outbreak’s epicenter, possibly had already reached 32,000 cases and approximately 1% of them are pregnant women too.  The World Health Organization’s official tally for Mexico stood at 2,059 confirmed human infections, including 56 deaths.

The United States has now surpassed Mexico – believed to be the source of the outbreak – as the country most affected by the epidemic, according to WHO statistics.  The agency reported that there are 6,497 confirmed cases of swine flu in 33 countries, with Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom having the most cases outside of the United States and Mexico.

In the meantime, back in Mexico, federal health officials said that the worst seemed to be over despite more deaths, toll rose to 58 deaths and 2,282 confirmed cases of swine flu – a rise of two deaths and 223 more cases.

World Health Organization expert expressed support for the more selective use of antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza against Swine Flu even though the pregnant women and the doctors of the pregnant women are declining the use of antiviral drugs.  According to health officials that there are some European countries aggressively take antiviral drugs throughout their population to save themselves.

While countries like the United States and Mexico, they are trying to save their patients with underlying conditions and also the other groups at risk, such as pregnant women and be treated.  Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG offered a charitable work to donate some of their Tamiflu supplies to the WHO enough for nearly 6 million people.

Posted by Jenny @ 9:09 am