Swine flu and Pregnancy

This page summarises the state of information as of July 2009. It is always a priority of mine to provide clear information and prevent my patients from feeling insecure. The swine flu (H1N1) is very contagious but hardly more dangerous than the “normal” flu.

• Pregnant women have a higher chance of contracting the flu because the women’s immune system is “downregulated” during pregnancy, however severe consequences are rare.
• Personally I do not agree with the recommendation to post-pone pregnancies at the moment. Especially for infertility couples this can mean additional stress.
• This year’s flu vaccination, which protects against H1N1, will be available late September or early October and can and should be used also by pregnant women. Since these vaccines contain inactivated viruses, the fetus cannot be harmed. We do not have any information available regarding adverse effects.
• Switzerland has ordered 12 million vaccine doses; two vaccinations will be necessary within 2-4 weeks of each other.
• The flu medicine Tamiflu can be taken during pregnancy. The same is true for nearly all antibiotics for the treatment of additional bacterial infections.

As soon as more cases of infection occur in Switzerland will the carrying (and frequent changing) of a surgical facemask be recommended. As a precaution one can stock up on facemasks with a package of 50 or 100 masks.

Personal Annotations

The swine flu and its certainly exaggerated medial presence show the importance of duly vaccinations. Hopefully this will lead to a rethinking in the traditionally vaccination-skeptical country of Switzerland. By the way the H1N1-virus is related to the virus which caused the large pandemic of 1918, which the memorial Wehrmännerdenkmal auf der Forch commemorates. According to present evidence, the current virus is way more harmless than the virus of 1918.