Government officials are continuing their public relations campaign to get us to care about the H1N1 virus (aka swine flu) without scaring us out of our wits. That has proven to be tricky: Recently, the White House estimated that up to 90,000 Americans could die of swine flu this year. And now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that children were at greatest risk of being infected with H1N1 (14 times more likely than adults over age 60) and that babies and toddlers were most likely to be hospitalized with severe complications.

At the same time, the CDC is telling us not to panic, with the agency director, Thomas Frieden, saying he doesn't believe the White House death estimates will prove accurate unless the virus mutates into a deadlier form. The Department of Health and Human Services hosted a webcast to give pregnant women and new moms sensible advice -- rather than scary news -- about preparing for H1N1.

All of the government heavyweights, including HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, agreed that pregnant women and parents of newborns should do the following: Get a seasonal flu vaccination now, since it's currently available; get the H1N1 vaccine in mid-October when it first becomes available; and call the doctor immediately if they have signs of the flu, such as fever, chills, coughing, or a sore throat. "It's very important for pregnant women to take very seriously any respiratory infection," said Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Pregnant women, as I previously reported, are at much greater risk of developing severe complications from H1N1, especially during the last three months of pregnancy. The CDC recommends that infected pregnant women be treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Fauci also said that the government will begin testing the H1N1 vaccine in pregnant women in early September. Responding to E-mailed questions from women concerned about the vaccine's risks, he said: "This vaccine is made in the same way, by the same companies, using the same process as the seasonal flu vaccine that we've been giving every year to pregnant women." Trouble is, the vast majority of pregnant women still skip the seasonal flu vaccine, and, judging by the number of safety questions that were E-mailed in, I'm guessing government officials are concerned that they will shun the H1N1 shot as well. On the webcast, officials emphasized the clear risks H1N1 infections pose to pregnant women and newborns over the very rare and still unknown risks that a vaccine would pose. (It's thought that babies born to women who received the H1N1 shot during pregnancy will have immunity, since that's the case with the seasonal flu vaccine.) "These serious risks are so rare," Fauci said, "you'd never be able to pick them up in a clinical trial."

The government officials and healthcare providers on the webcast also emphasized frequent hand-washing -- especially before breast-feeding. That last bit of advice was interesting to me because it's something I never thought to do when nursing my own three kids. While the H1N1 virus isn't transmitted via breast milk, a baby can become infected if a mom unwittingly spreads the virus from her hands to her breast before nursing, said Laura Riley, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Women don't need to stop breast-feeding if they have the swine flu, she added, provided they're up to caring for their newborn. (It may, though, be a good idea to wear a face mask.) They can also safely nurse while taking Tamiflu.

Other common-sense steps pregnant women and new moms can take now to lower their chances of getting infected before the vaccine becomes available?

Avoid excess stress, eat a balanced diet, and make time for frequent naps, advised Tina Johnson, a nurse-midwife. Oh, and make sure your in-laws and parents are vaccinated if they're planning to help care for the new baby.

Swine Flu: Pregnant Women will be Included in H1N1 Flu Vaccine Trials
Deborah Kotz

As predicted, pregnant women are, indeed, on the government's list of the first folks to be vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu virus. The panel of experts convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the new vaccine be provided first to pregnant women and adults with compromised immune systems, who face a greater risk of complications, and others, like children and health-care workers.

Swine Flu Hits Pregnant Women Harder
Deborah Kotz

New research shows pregnant women who get swine flu are more likely to develop severe complications that result in hospitalization or even death, according to a study published in the journal Lancet.

Dealing with the Swine Flu Threat During Pregnancy
Deborah Kotz

The worldwide death toll from swine flu is now at 700, according to the World Health Organization. And the U.S. government is gearing up for a mass vaccination campaign this fall, one not seen since the polio vaccine first became available in the 1950s. An H1N1 vaccine is still being tested for safety and efficacy. When it becomes available later this fall, should pregnant women be among the first to get it, or the last?

Think You Have Swine Flu? What to Do
By Deborah Kotz

It's OK to go about your life as usual even in the face of this flu "pandemic". But you should be aware of the telltale signs of H1N1: fever, cough, sore throat, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, and muscle aches.

Shot at Universal Flu Vaccine: Protection from swine flu, bird flu & other viruses
By Nancy Shute

Wayne Marasco is no doubt the only Harvard medical researcher who abandoned a successful construction firm, Waymar Roofing and Siding, to become an immunologist. The man with the unorthodox history recently made a striking discovery: a human antibody that attacks a newfound vulnerability in flu viruses.

Who's Ready if Swine Flu Pandemic Comes Knocking
Andy Coghlan, Linda Geddes & Rachel Nowak, New Scientist Magazine

Doomsday visions of curfews, sealed borders, travel bans and scuffles over food are a long way from materializing in the current crisis regarding swine flu.

But if the World Health Organization declares a pandemic, countries could bring in draconian measures to isolate and treat infection, prevent further spread and keep societies functioning.

The question, then, is which countries are ready and prepared to handle a Swine Flu Pandemic.

 

(C) 2009 U.S. News & World Report