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WHY SHOULD PREGNAT WOMEN GET THE SWINE FLU VACCINE

Posted by Admin on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 - 02:37 AM

The CDC recommends that pregnant women and small children get vaccinated against the H1N1 swine influenza virus. Old and sick people who can have complications are also recommended to get vaccinated by the CDC. There are two types of H1N1 vaccine, the first is a regular shot and the second is a in the form of a mist which you breath into your lungs. This mist has the live H1N1 swine influenza virus in it.

The mist vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women and small children. It is also not recommended for people who care for children and sick and elderly people. They may transmit the live virus, in the vaccine to those they care for and continue spreading the disease.

Although the CDC recommends that pregnant women and small children get vaccinated many doctors disagree. They believe the vaccine for the H1N1 swine virus has not been properly tested to find out if the injection or aspiration of the live virus by the mother will cause any effect on the fetus. There is no documentation or proof that the fetus will also be immunized when the mother gets the vaccine. In fact, some doctors believe that when the mother receives the live virus she may be infecting her unborn child with the virus, the truth about this is not known and it will take time to gather information on the subject.

Even if the CDC recommends the vaccine to pregnant women, it is still a personal decision to go ahead with it or not. The new strain of the swine influenza virus has not been around long enough to study it properly and develop absolutely safe vaccines and medication. Some doctor’s claim that the mist vaccine is definitely not for pregnant women and small children, others say it is okay. The fact of the matter is that this vaccine contains the live virus in it and the effect it may have on the fetus is unknown.

Another matter that must be considered with regards to the H1N1 swine influenza vaccines is that some of them contain a mercury-based preservative that goes by the name of Thimerosal. Mercury is a heavy metal that can cause permanent neurological damage to small children and unborn children. Pregnant women and small children are at risk of developing secondary effect and complications if they receive a vaccine with this mercury based preservative.

When a pregnant woman or mother decides that she wants to get the vaccine for herself and her children she must be extra careful to discuss this matter with her doctor and request a thimerosal-free vaccine.

Since this vaccine has not been tested over the long run, we do not know for sure if it will have negative effects on those who receive it. We do not know for sure if instead of protecting you from the virus it will infect you. Doctors have different theories about this fact; there is even one that states that those that receive the vaccine have a one in a million chance of developing Gillian Bar Syndrome which is a neurological disorder that weakens the nerve terminals of the body.

The bottom line is the CDC recommends it, there are doctors who do not recommend it and consider it dangerous for pregnant women and there are those who say it is okay and should be done. Any women trying to decide if she should get a vaccine or not should do additional research and discuss this with her doctor before making up her mind.