CTIS URGES PREGNANT WOMEN TO RECEIVE H1N1 VACCINATION

CTIS URGES PREGNANT WOMEN TO RECEIVE H1N1 VACCINATION

(SAN DIEGO) October 15 2009 -The California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS)– a non-profit housed at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and serving the entire state of California – urges women who are pregnant or may become pregnant to receive the H1N1 2009 monovalent vaccine as soon as it becomes available in October. 

Since the advent of the H1N1 virus pandemic, research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly suggests that pregnant women are at an increased risk for complications resulting from infection with the H1N1 virus just as they are from seasonal influenza.

Due to the severity of the health issue, CTIS is available to advise women who are pregnant on medication options and vaccination information at any stage in the pregnancy through its Pregnancy Risk Line at 1-800-532-3749 and Web site at www.ctispregnancy.org.

“During this pandemic, our mission to aid in healthy pregnancy outcomes extends to keeping women informed about the H1N1 virus risks and their increased need for vaccinations,” said Dr. Christina Chambers, the program director of the CTIS Pregnancy Risk Line and associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego. “The CTIS Pregnancy Risk Line is an ideal and ready source for women seeking answers about every aspect of the H1N1 virus concerning their pregnancy.”

Between April and June of 2009, around 34 confirmed or probable cases of pandemic H1N1 in pregnant women were reported to the CDC from throughout the United States states, and 11 or 32 percent of those women were admitted to the hospital. In addition, six deaths in pregnant women were reported to the CDC in that time frame; all had developed pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation. 

“As a result of these reports, pregnant women in any trimester, or women who may become pregnant during the influenza season, are considered a high priority to receive the H1N1 vaccine in addition to the seasonal influenza vaccine,” continued Dr. Chambers. “To achieve comprehensive protection against illness, both vaccinations are highly advised to keep the woman and growing baby healthy.”

Pregnant women who have had an influenza-like illness in the past year are still encouraged to receive both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. Pregnant women at this time are not advised to use the nasal spray form of the seasonal or H1N1 vaccines, as both forms of this vaccine contain live attenuated virus. 

For expectant mothers concerned with the safety of vaccinations during pregnancy, there is no evidence to indicate that seasonal influenza vaccines, which are updated with new strains of the virus each year, pose a risk to the developing fetus regardless of trimester of administration. There is no reason to believe that the 2009 H1N1 vaccine is any different. 

For updated information on available vaccines, please visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov.

Founded 27 years ago and housed at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, CTIS offers a free Pregnancy Risk Information Line at 1-800-532-3749 that fields questions (in both English and Spanish) about exposure concerns and where to find medical advice and referral resources to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their families.

Recently, CTIS launched a new website (www.ctispregnancy.org) that provides links to the most current information about potentially harmful exposures – from illnesses to environmental toxins and hazardous occupational materials – before, during and after pregnancy. It also can lead women and their families and health care providers to other knowledgeable resources and teratology professionals that specialize in birth defects caused by exposures during pregnancy.

For more information about CTIS or its free telephone and online services, call 1-800-532-3749 or visit www.ctispregnancy.org.