At risk of pregnancy?

NEWS FOCUS: Mothers-to-be have been identified as an ‘at risk’ group in the swine flu alert – but just how great are the dangers to women and their unborn children?, writes KITTY HOLLAND

PREGNANT WOMEN – of which there are record numbers in Ireland, according to last week’s CSO figures – have been identified as one of the most “at risk” groups of developing serious problems on contracting swine flu.

The HSE says pregnant women will be among the priority groups for vaccination when the vaccine becomes available sometime next month.

Not only are they at greater risk of contracting the virus – because their immune systems are suppressed – but they are also in danger of developing severe and even fatal complications because their respiratory systems are increasingly compromised as pregnancy progresses.

This can lead to problems for their own health but also, particularly in the first trimester, to spontaneous miscarriage due to infection in some cases.

In the United States, where they make up 1 per cent of the population, pregnant women have accounted for 6 per cent of H1N1 cases and a disproportionate number of cases with severe complications. There have been a number of deaths among otherwise healthy, pregnant women.

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