With all the recent hype about the swine flu hysteria, why not stoke the flames a little more and connect the H1N1 virus complications to pregnant women?
Pregnant women contracting the H1N1 swine flu pathogen appear to be about 4 times more probable to be hospitalized than non-pregnant ones infected with the pathogen.
Frankly, it seemed to be a rather tiny sample employed in the study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but with only about seven hundred confirmed deaths so far from H1N1 swine flu, it's comprehensible the study was limited. Thirty-four cases of confirmed or suspected H1N1 influenza were studied, and eleven were admitted to hospital, which is 4 times the surgery admission rate on non-pregnant H1N1 cases. 6 of these women died of pneumonia linked to the influenza.
There is some good news however: In every case, complications were avoided simply with early treatment with anti-viral medication.
Bottom line: if you are pregnant and you experience flu-like symptoms, go immediately to a doctor and get checked out straight away. It may be nothing after all, flu-like symptoms happen for masses of reasons but your best chance when pregnant is a good bet, which includes being sure it is not H1N1 swine flu. Add this to the common list of good prenatal care like eating healthily, drinking plenty of water, getting lots of rest and exercise, staying away from alcohol and a complete litany of foods like unpasteurized dairy and juices, certain fishes, deli meats and raw meats, and raw plant sprouts ( unless you grow them yourself ), and you and your baby should be fine!
