Brittany Schwartz
Pregnant women are constantly being advised to stay away from pretty much anything that may have a chance at being harmful, even with minimal evidence. Taking a chance is not an option for most pregnant women, especially when it comes to the health of their unborn baby. However, could this idea of avoiding everything even as minor as certain foods such as sushi or cheese, begin to have negative affects such as pushing women to think even vaccines could be harmful? This paranoia that is administered towards almost all pregnant women scares them away from almost everything, and the thought of taking the flu vaccine is out of the question. Unfortunately this way of thinking is deadly, and with a second strand of the flu invading 50 percent of the population, this leaves everyone including pregnant women at risk. A study done in the Lancet this past summer gave frightening results that a high rate of death in pregnant women, along with close to fatal sickness like Pneumonia were due to the H1N1 influenza. Pregnant women have recently been placed on the top priority list for the vaccine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; who have also strongly advised any pregnant woman that has been exposed to the virus should take antiviral medications immediately. No matter how forceful the recommendations, in one study there was still a low amount of only 15 percent of pregnant women who received the flu vaccine, this rate is much lower than any other adult group recommended for it. The women from the Lancet study who passed away were not treated soon enough after symptoms began to occur. Due to the thalidomide disaster in the 1960s, people were concerned about the fatal risks of taking drugs and the affects they had on fetal development. Doctors and women from than on avoided taking any type of medicine while being pregnant. Even with strong evidence this way of thinking still exists. For example, pregnant women with untreated or poorly treated asthma are proven to have higher rates of growth problems in the fetus, pregnancy issues, and premature birth. Another example of evidence would be that pregnant women with untreated diabetes increases the chances of their child having birth defects as high as 1 in 4. Even with this hazardous yet helpful evidence, getting away from this mindset is difficult for most women, but sadly enough this pattern can continue for flu victims. A continuous alert should be made for pregnant women and receiving the flu vaccine along with any antiviral medications. Research should also be a priority in looking into the safest ways in which pregnant women can take dugs without risking their unborn child. Six major medical centers are carrying out studies with pregnant women in trials of the swine flu vaccines, which are financed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This crucial research and concern should not be ignored and awareness should continue to spread, in order to keep pregnant women and their unborn safe.
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As a woman one of my many dreams is to one day become a mother. The entire idea of becoming pregnant and going through the process is exciting yet scary. Other than my mother I have been lucky enough to watch some of my own friends go through this crucial process. The thought of birth defect and constantly worrying about making sure the baby comes out perfectly healthy is natural. I am not exactly sure how it feels to be pregnant but I know from what I have been told it is one amazing feeling and horrible feeling at the same time. Besides the fact that your body is holding another human being, the morning sickness, the weight gain, and other lovely side effects, not only is being pregnant a wonderful gift but a tremendous burden. The woman has full responsibility and will do everything in her power to protect her future child. Taking every single precaution is crucial, but this is where situations become worrisome and difficult. If I had ever gotten sick and needed to take drugs, there is always a risk in whether the drugs that are given could have some sort of negative affect on the fetus. However, if I did not take the drugs and my sickness became worse it is risking my life and the life of the unborn child. So where does a woman turn to? Even doctors are not sure about most of the vaccines and drugs out there. One question I have is even if the flu has become a hazard for pregnant women ,what if the vaccine prevents the death from the flu but causes other birth issues? How can anyone at this point prove this? I feel that this is an extremely hard predicament and even though I have no idea what it is like to be pregnant all I know is that it would not be a simple decision. One more question I have is would it be possible to make a vaccine strictly for pregnant women?
