What You Should Know About the Flu
H1N1 Swine Flu Alert
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women or those who have recently given birth receive BOTH the H1N1 flu vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine. Visit Flu.Gov to find vaccination sites in your area. The website also includes a fact sheet “Pregnant Women and the Flu: Five Things You Need to Know”
Why is H1N1 So Dangerous to Pregnant Women?
Pregnant women have a suppressed immune system, making them susceptible to cold and flu viruses already. If you are pregnant, you are six times more likely to contract H1N1 than the general populace. Viral infections like H1N1 tax the immune system and leave expectant moms even more susceptible to developing secondary infections, like colds, upper respiratory infections and pneumonia.
According to the CDC, 5% to 20% of the U.S. population gets the flu every year. The flu season lasts from November through March, and typically peaks in January.
Information for the Public from the CDC:
Share With Women Handout from the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health
Posts from Midwife Connection
Common Symptoms of Flu
Most people who become infected with the flu develop one or more of the following symptoms:
- Abrupt onset of fever and chills
- Muscular pain
- Joint pain
- Sore throat
- Dry cough
- Sneezing
- General feeling of fatigue
Most people recover in one to two weeks.
Danger Signs
The flu is most dangerous for the young, the elderly, and people with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Some people develop serious complications from the flu, including bacterial infections of the sinuses, ears, and lungs. Others may succumb to life-threatening pneumonia. Every year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die from the flu and its complications.(1)
How Flu Spreads
The virus that causes the flu is spread through airborne particles, large droplets, or direct contact with body secretions. It can be acquired from being in any public place frequented by people who are carrying or are infected with the virus. Viral particles live on non-porous surfaces, such as door knobs and telephones, for up to 24 hours, and on paper surfaces, such as tissues, cloth, and paper, for 15 minutes.(2, 3)
Coughing and sneezing are the way virus particles enter the communal air space. Small aerosol particles remain airborne for varying periods of time depending on the circulation and humidity of the air and the size and quantity of particles. The drier the air, the longer the viral particles live. This is part of what makes the virus more of a problem in winter months when the air is colder and drier, and our heated buildings, as well as our nasal passages, are drier.
Contagious Period
The contagious period lasts from one to two days before and up to five days after symptoms begin. Children appear to be contagious for longer periods than adults.
Prevention
The flu can be prevented in two ways: vaccination and hygiene. Strict hand washing during cold & flu season is a very effective strategy for preventing the spread of the virus.
Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the flu. A vaccine is developed each year to target the strains of the flu virus that the CDC determines will be most prevalent. The flu vaccine is not effective against every strain of the virus, which means some people may get the flu even if they receive the vaccination.
Vaccination
Types of Vaccines
There are two types of flu vaccines.
- TIV (trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine): This vaccine contains dead flu viruses and is administered through injection.
- LAIV (live attenuated influenza vaccine): This vaccine contains live flu viruses and is administered through a nasal spray.
Shortages
Vaccine availability is sometimes limited. When this occurs, beginning usually in October, the CDC recommends that certain individuals get priority for the available vaccine. This list includes:
- Pregnant women
- The young
- The elderly
- People with chronic medical conditions
Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
The CDC recommends that all pregnant women get vaccinated, as pregnancy places women at increased risk for complications and death from the flu. No study has yet shown an increased risk of maternal complications or danger to the fetus associated with the TIV flu vaccine.(4)
According to the CDC, the TIV flu vaccine is also safe for mothers who are breastfeeding and their infants. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not be exposed to the LAIV flu vaccine, which contains live flu viruses.(5)
Side Effects
Most people who receive the flu vaccine experience mild reactions, such as soreness at the injection site, that last one to two days. However, people who are receiving the vaccine for the first time may experience more uncomfortable reactions, including fever, malaise, muscular pain, and headache.
It takes the immune system about two weeks to process the flu vaccine before developing full immunity. If someone comes in contact with the flu immediately before or after being vaccinated, they may get the flu despite having been vaccinated. This is sometimes how people assume that the vaccine made them get the flu.(5)
Contraindications
People with a history of severe allergy to eggs should not receive the TIV flu vaccine.(5)
Information adapted from:
Prevention of Influenza
by Carol E. Hayes, CNM, MN, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Georgia State University
References
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Key Facts About Seasonal Influenza, http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm.
2. World Health Organization Writing Group, “Nonpharmaceutical Interventions for Pandemic Influenza, International Measures,” Emerging Infectious Diseases 12, no. 2 (2006), http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/EID/vol12no01/05-1370.htm.
3. Tellier, Raymond, “Review of aerosol transmission of influenza A virus,” Emerging Infectious Diseases 12, no. 11 (2006), http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no11/06-0426.htm.
4. Naleway, Smith, and Mullooly, “Delivering influenza vaccine to pregnant women,” Epidemiologic Reviews, 28 (2006) http://gateway.ut.ovid.com.
5. Smith, Nicole M., et al., “Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5510a1.htm?s_cid=rr5510a1_e.
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