Health Groups Plead With Pregnant Women To Get Flu Vaccines

Columbia, SC—Columbia Ob/Gyn Dr. James Johnson says he’s hearing from a lot of his pregnant patients that they’re worried about the safety of the new H1N1 flu vaccine and what it might do to their babies, so they’re not planning to get the vaccine. He tells them that would be a mistake.

“The swine flu seems to be especially dangerous to pregnant women,“ he says. “We’ve had, that I know of, several deaths here in Columbia, not in my practice, but otherwise healthy women who have come down with the swine flu and rapidly developed pneumonia. And, despite all efforts, we’ve had several deaths. So this is of very much concern to us.“ He urges his patients to get both the H1N1 and season flu vaccines, telling them the risk from getting the flu is much greater than any potential risk from the vaccines.

Nationwide, pregnant women make up only 1 percent of the population but have been 6 percent of the H1N1 deaths. At least 28 women have died from the H1N1 flu, according to the CDC.

On Thursday, the CDC joined with the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in releasing a statement that pleads with pregnant women to get both the H1N1 and season flu vaccines.

Pregnant women are understandably concerned about what they put into their bodies and how it might affect their babies. But state epidemiologist Dr. Jerry Gibson of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says, “The evidence is that there’s no risk, that this is a very, very safe vaccine. Even if there were a small risk, it’s going to be a lot less than the risk of getting flu, especially this new flu.“

He says the entire health community is worried about the possibility that pregnant women will decide against getting the vaccines based on things they’ve heard or read on the Internet.

“I’m still amazed at the weird rumors that are floating around and kind of dismayed, because these weird rumors are going to put people in the hospital unnecessarily. They’re going to kill some people unnecessarily because people are going to get this new flu who didn’t need to get it,“ Dr. Gibson says.

He says there should be enough of the H1N1 vaccine to give it to everyone in the state who wants it, eventually. But at the beginning, as the first doses come in, there are some groups who will get priority because they’re more likely to develop more serious cases of the H1N1 flu.

Those priority groups are: pregnant women; people who live with or care for infants under 6 months of age; health care and emergency medical personnel; anyone from the ages of 6 months to 24 years of age; and anyone from 25 through 64 years old with chronic medical conditions or a weakened immune system.

In order to make sure those priority groups get the vaccine they need, Dr. Gibson says DHEC is sending it to pediatricians and obstetricians, as well as county health departments. The state will also be vaccinating students in school.

“We’re going to do some big school vaccination campaigns. Most of those are starting just about the 1st, 2nd of November and our goal is to have all the schools done by early December,“ he says.