Low Rates Of Flu Vaccine Adoption By Pregnant Women

Steven — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:28:22 +0000

Historically, pregnant women have been one of the groups least likely to get the flu vaccine for a variety of reasons. Not surprisingly, their reluctance to take any medication during pregnancy is one of the reasons for the low vaccination rates. Additionally, the majority of obstetricians do not routinely vaccinate their patients due to costs involved and that it’s not part of routine obstetrician training. Therefore, the CDC and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology are urging obstetricians to partner with hospitals or drugstores to guarantee their patients a place to get the flu shot. A vaccine is a two-for-one deal during pregnancy. It can protect both mom and baby because the flu-fighting antibodies made by mom will cross the placenta to the fetus and can help protect the baby during its first few months of life. This is why health officials are working on increasing the number of vaccinated pregnant women this year, especially since pregnant women make up 6% of H1N1-confirmed deaths even though they account for only 1% of the population. [via NBC News]

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Breakthrough In Search For Flu Cure

Steven — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:13:47 +0000

Scientists have discovered a small family of antibodies capable of fighting off an unprecedented range of influenza A viruses, including the avian flu virus and previous pandemic viruses. One of the reasons why it’s difficult to formulate a cure to the flu is because the viruses are always mutating. However, the newly discovered antibodies are able to hone in on a small portion of flu viral structure that remains the same from virus to virus thereby neutralizing them before they cause an infection.

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Low Rates Of Flu Vaccine Adoption By Pregnant Women

Breakthrough In Search For Flu Cure