Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 27: Dispelling apprehensions regarding the safety of swine flu vaccine in pregnant women, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said the flu vaccine can be safely given at any stage of pregnancy.
The DAK president and flu expert, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan in a statement said swine flu vaccine does not carry any risk to pregnant women or their babies. He said they received lot of calls on helpline numbers from pregnant women who have fears about the safety of flu vaccine. As a result, many women have taken riskier decisions of skipping the flu shots, he said.
“They would have been vaccinated had their health care providers removed their fears and recommended them the vaccine,” said Dr Nisar, adding that there is a large body of scientific studies that support the safety of flu vaccine in pregnant women and their babies.
Dr Nisar said pregnancy naturally weakens the body’s immune system, as a result, increases the risk of mother becoming seriously ill. “Flu can harm pregnant women seriously enough to land them in hospital and cause death. The flu poses a major threat to unborn babies too, he said, adding that the pregnant women with flu have increased risk of having miscarriages, premature delivery or babies born with low birth weight.
Dr Nisar said it is critically important that pregnant women get the flu jabs and protect themselves and their babies as soon as possible.
“It is the injectable vaccine that should be given to pregnant women and not nasal spray, as it is made from live virus that makes it inappropriate during pregnancy,” the DAK president said.
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