Tamiflu given to pregnant women exposed to flu

Swine Flu has reached more than 33 countries, accumulating deaths in Mexico, the United States, Canada and Costa Rica, according to the World Health Organization.

The new H1N1 virus is spreading rather slowly, but infecting humans in proportional sizes at an alarming rate.

Pregnant women diagnosed with the H1N1 virus are said to be at a higher
risk of complications like pneumonia, dehydration and premature labor.

This reason is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that they are pushing for the antiviral drug Tamiflu in pregnancy.

The effects of Tamiflu on an unborn child are currently unknown, according to an interview between The New York Times and its maker, Roche.

Tamiflu should be given to any pregnant patient with flu-like symptoms and a history of likely contact with someone else with swine flu, according to the CDC.

Rare but serious skin reactions and allergic reactions have been reported, according to the Tamiflu Web site. The Web site also mentions that people with the flu (particularly children and young adolescents) are at an increased risk of self-injury and confusion after administrating the antiviral drug.

Makers of the drug suggest close monitoring for unusual signals of behavior.

One of the three deaths in the United States involved a 33-year-old pregnant woman, Judy Trunnell, who was on no medication other than prenatal vitamins, according to the CDC.

Trunnell was eight months pregnant when she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Her baby was delivered by C-section and was healthy, but died May 4, because Tamiflu was administered to the infant too late.

“If I’m thinking influenza – the classic symptoms, febrile, aching all over, came on all of the sudden – and this flu in the community, and I’d otherwise give the patient Tamiflu if she wasn’t pregnant, we’re saying, ‘Don’t delay because she’s pregnant,’” said Dr. Denise Jamieson, a CDC medical officer, in an article from the Kansas City Star. “At that point, the benefit of giving Tamiflu outweighs the risk.”

The CDC knows of 20 confirmed or probable swine flu infections in pregnant Americans, and “a few have had severe complications,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the interim deputy director for public health, in that same article.

The only advice Tamiflu officials have is to consult a physician before taking Tamiflu.
But in the matters of life and death as it relates to an unborn child, pregnant women have to think about two lives instead of one.

There is speculation that the epidemic in the United States will mirror the epidemic in Mexico, and these severe illnesses will take place in the fall, during flu season.

The World Health Organization, based in Geneva, is currently under pressure to issue these pandemic alerts, increasing as a new virus spreads, whether or not it is mild
or severe.

A virus severity varies from country to country, depending on the population’s previous immunity, average age, the level of readiness of the health care system and the prevalence of diseases that could make people
more vulnerable.

In this case, pregnant women will be more susceptible to the disease because their hormonal changes depress the immune system to protect
the fetus.