Moms' swine-flu risk high

Vaccine urged for pregnant women

— The continued spread of swine flu has some Arkansas doctors warning about the risks to pregnant women, who are considered among the virus' most vulnerable victims.

While unborn children won't typically contract the virus in the womb, pregnant mothers can develop serious respiratory problems, said Dr. Curtis Lowery, director of obstetrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

"If a pregnant woman contracts the virus, it's very serious," he said. "Sometimes these women die."

UAMS is partnering with the Arkansas Department of Health, and other hospitals and clinics statewide to host educational seminars for medical professionals on how to treat pregnant women with flu-like symptoms. Pregnant women make up about 1 percent of the country's population but about 6 percent of hospital patients.

"We've had four patients admitted to the [UAMS intensive care unit], and one of the patients was gravely ill," said Lowery, also professor and chairman of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

While it's hard to know the scope of the problem statewide, it's important that medical professionals do what they can to stem the spread of the virus, also known as H1N1, he said.

Five Arkansas residents have died from the swine flu-related complications, according to the state Health Department.

A new case this weekend involved a boy from Texarkana, Texas.

Six-year-oldDiamauri Hobbs died Sunday at 2:38 p.m. at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper said.

Like other deaths in the state so far, Diamauri had underlying health problems, Camper said. "He did have a compromised respiratory system," he said.

On Monday, Arkansas Children's Hospital officials announced a new hotline for parents concerned about swine flu. The toll-free number is (888) 543-6333, or (501) 364-6333 for those living in central Arkansas.

The hotline offers recorded information in English and Spanish, including warning signs and tips on when parents should take their children to the doctor and how to help sick children feel better.

For health-care workers, it's important that pregnant patients who have symptoms such as fever, sore throat or cough - or who are known to have been exposed to the swine flu virus - be treated immediately with antiviral medication such as Tamiflu, Lowery said.

And when the swine flu vaccine becomes available in shot form next month, it should be given to all pregnant women and health-care workers, he said.

Officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said most of the first doses will be in nasal spray form, which isn't recommended for pregnant women and others in danger of swine-flu complications such as children younger than 2, and people with asthma or other chronic respiratory diseases.

The vaccine could be available in shot form in early October, according to the CDC.

In the meantime, pregnant women can protect themselves by getting vaccinated against the seasonal flu now and contacting a doctor to get the swine flu vaccine when it's released. If a woman has the virus and gives birth, the infant should be kept away from her until the risk of infection is gone, Lowery said.

"The virus doesn't apparently get transferred to the baby in utero, but after birth the newborn can be infected," Lowery said. "So it's very important that the mother be isolated from the newborn if she's infected."

It's unknown exactly why pregnant women are more at risk for swine flu, but many doctors believe it's because the mother's immune system is suppressed during pregnancy so that the body won't target the fetus.

The seminars for medical professionals are being hosted through UAMS' ANGELS video-conferencing system, or Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System. Sessions will be from 7 to 8 a.m. Thursday and 8 to 9 a.m. Friday.

Regularly weekly sessions will be held after that, but a schedule hasn't been set, Lowery said.

The Health Department will have mass-vaccination clinics from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2. There will be at least two mass-vaccination clinics in each county this year.

The schedule of clinics is available online at www.healthyarkansas.com.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7, 9 on 09/29/2009

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