Flu jab danger fears are quashed by chief
Reporter: by DAWN MARSDEN
Date published: 19 October 2009
A LEADING North-West health chief has dismissed claims that swine flu vaccine Pandremix is dangerous to pregnant women.
Dr Ruth Hussey, North-West Director for Public Health, has spoken out after concerns were raised on Sky News. She believes Sky was quoting old figures taken before the vaccines had gone through all the required licensing processes.
In America, hospitalisation rates for pregnant women with swine flu are four times that of the general population — a trend that is expected to spread to the UK.
Dr Hussey said: “We do not want to unduly alarm mums to be, but we know that because their immune systems are naturally suppressed during pregnancy, they could be more at risk of complications.
“The NHS already has a history of recommending vaccines for pregnant women when they are needed.
“Pregnant women routinely have the seasonal flu vaccine.
“There is evidence that vaccination could reduce the risk of influenza in mothers and their infants.
“As both the swine flu and seasonal flu vaccines use inactivated versions of the flu virus, adverse reactions are the same for pregnant women as they would be for non-pregnant women.
“It’s become a bit of an urban myth that one of the possible side-effects of having the flu vaccine is that you will get a mild dose of the flu.
“This is completely unfounded.”
Swine flu cases in the North-West have gone up for the fifth week with an increase in the number of people being treated in hospital with flu-like symptoms but health leaders are reporting that the virus is mild to moderate for most people affected.
On October 14, the number of anti-viral prescriptions collected in the North West was 1,693 — up from 1,501 the previous week.
And the number of people being treated in hospital has gone up to 77 from 63 a week ago.
Anyone who thinks they may have contracted the swine flu virus can contact the National Pandemic Flu Service on-line at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu . Call 0800 1 513 513 for information or 0800 1 513 100 for treatment.
