Death of youth brings swine flu fatalities in State to nine

A TEENAGER in the east has become the ninth person to die of swine flu in the State. The boy had an underlying health condition, the Department of Health confirmed last night. No further details were issued.

The news came as pregnant women were urged to get the swine flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available despite concerns about its possible impact on the unborn child.

Dr Michael O’Connell, consultant obstetrician and spokesman for the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said there was concern pregnant women would not take the vaccine given their inclination to avoid medication during pregnancy.

“The fears that are being expressed are not unfounded but . . . the best evidence we have is that they should get the vaccine.”

He said statistics indicated up to 2,000 pregnant women could become “seriously ill, even fatally”, if they declined to be vaccinated in large numbers. The risks of complications for pregnant women from becoming seriously ill from the H1N1 virus outweighed risks from the vaccine, he said.

Speaking at a press briefing on the vaccine and pregnant or breastfeeding women yesterday, Dr O’Connell said there were about 70,000 pregnant women in the population at any one time.

“If we take as a conservative estimate that 30 per cent of the population will contract the virus, that’s about 21,000 pregnant women.

“About 90 per cent of them will will contract a mild form of the virus and be able to manage it at home with paracetamol and plenty of fluids. However, about 10 per cent will become seriously ill and will require hospitalisation.”

Pregnant women are among the at-risk groups being prioritised for vaccination. “Evidence suggests pregnant women are four times more likely to develop serious complications or be hospitalised from H1N1 than non-pregnant women,” said Dr O’Connell. “These complications include early labour or severe pneumonia. The risk of these complications is higher after 14 weeks of pregnancy and for pregnant women who are at risk of medical complications.”

Pregnancy raises the risk of complications as a woman’s immune system is partially suppressed and her respiratory system is compromised. The risks increase as the pregnancy progresses.

Concerns about the vaccine have centred around the inclusion of the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal, which some have attempted to link to an increased risk of autism and other brain development disorders. A Thimerosal-free version of the vaccine has been made available to pregnant women in the US though none is available here yet.

Dr O’Connell said the brand available here, Pandemrix, did contain Thimerosal but said the expert opinion worldwide was that there had “never been a cause-and-effect adverse reaction shown with the use of Thimerosal in vaccines for pregnant women or their babies”.

He said there was no indication yet as to when a Thimerosal-free version of the vaccine would be available here and urged pregnant women not to wait for it.

Women over 14 weeks pregnant and up to six weeks after giving birth should contact their GP to arrange vaccination. Those less than 14 weeks pregnant should be vaccinated if they have a long-term medical condition.