Get vaccinated for swine flu

THE Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of the Royal College of Practitioners of Ireland is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against swine flu because of a rise in the number of cases of the H1N1 virus.

Vaccination has been shown to be the best way to prevent swine flu and its potential complications in pregnant women. The vaccine also confers some protection for up to six months for a newborn baby. During the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic, pregnant women and women up to six weeks after giving birth were at a higher risk of serious complications from the virus.

Pregnant women who contracted the virus were more likely to need hospitalisation and admission to intensive care units. There was also a risk of pregnancy complications.