A mother's flu shot does double duty

[Guest guest]

A mother's flu shot does double duty

By Anita Manning, USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Babies born to mothers who received a flu shot during

the last three months of pregnancy appear to be protected from

infection during their first six months of life, a study suggested

Wednesday.

The results of the study, presented at the Interscience Conference on

Anti-microbial Agents and Chemotherapy, bolster recommendations for

pregnant women to be immunized against flu, says researcher Mark

Steinhoff of s Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Steinhoff says the results came as part of a study of a pneumococcal

vaccine that involved 340 women in Bangladesh in their third

trimester of pregnancy. Half of the women got the pneumococcal

vaccine, and the other half got flu vaccine, which was used as a

control.

Current vaccines are not licensed for babies under 6 months. The

study suggests that immunizing pregnant women can protect babies

during those months.

" Pregnant women ought to take the vaccine because it will protect

them and their baby, " Steinhoff says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pregnant women

are at risk for serious medical complications from flu related to

decreased lung capacity, increased heart rate and other conditions of

pregnancy. But the message is not being heeded, says Poland,

professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

" Among the groups for whom influenza vaccine is recommended, the

lowest group (who receive it) is pregnant women, at 12.9%, " says

Poland, who wasn't involved in the study.

" I tell my patients: Get this vaccine to protect yourself and the

baby. "

Poland says some mothers are concerned about exposing the baby to a

vaccine preservative, thimerosal, which contains a small amount of

mercury, but studies have found " no known risk to the fetus, " he

says, while there is a clear risk from flu. " Women in the first

trimester who get high fevers increase the risk of neural tube

defects " in their children, he says.

Several other studies related to colds and flu are scheduled to be

presented Friday. Among them, according to published abstracts, are:

• Scientists at the University of Virginia report on a study in which

people who had colds checked into hotel rooms overnight. After they

checked out, researchers found rhinoviruses, the most common cold

germs, all over surfaces in the rooms, especially door handles, light

switches, faucets, telephones and TV remote controls.

• A second study from the University of Virginia found that organic

acids, such as malic acid (found in sour apples) and citric acid

(found in oranges and lemons), kill rhinoviruses on the hands and

prevent hand-to-nose transmission of the viruses for up to four hours.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-27-mother-flu-shot_x.htm

[Guest guest]

Crazy fear mongering medicine !

And impossible to know whether there would be any long term side

effects on the baby as these would be described as " purely

coincidental " !!!

>

> A mother's flu shot does double duty

> By Anita Manning, USA TODAY

> SAN FRANCISCO — Babies born to mothers who received a flu shot

during

> the last three months of pregnancy appear to be protected from

> infection during their first six months of life, a study suggested

> Wednesday.

> The results of the study, presented at the Interscience Conference

on

> Anti-microbial Agents and Chemotherapy, bolster recommendations for

> pregnant women to be immunized against flu, says researcher Mark

> Steinhoff of s Hopkins University in Baltimore.

>

> Steinhoff says the results came as part of a study of a

pneumococcal

> vaccine that involved 340 women in Bangladesh in their third

> trimester of pregnancy. Half of the women got the pneumococcal

> vaccine, and the other half got flu vaccine, which was used as a

> control.

>

> Current vaccines are not licensed for babies under 6 months. The

> study suggests that immunizing pregnant women can protect babies

> during those months.

>

> " Pregnant women ought to take the vaccine because it will protect

> them and their baby, " Steinhoff says.

>

> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pregnant women

> are at risk for serious medical complications from flu related to

> decreased lung capacity, increased heart rate and other conditions

of

> pregnancy. But the message is not being heeded, says

Poland,

> professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

>

> " Among the groups for whom influenza vaccine is recommended, the

> lowest group (who receive it) is pregnant women, at 12.9%, " says

> Poland, who wasn't involved in the study.

>

> " I tell my patients: Get this vaccine to protect yourself and the

> baby. "

>

> Poland says some mothers are concerned about exposing the baby to a

> vaccine preservative, thimerosal, which contains a small amount of

> mercury, but studies have found " no known risk to the fetus, " he

> says, while there is a clear risk from flu. " Women in the first

> trimester who get high fevers increase the risk of neural tube

> defects " in their children, he says.

>

> Several other studies related to colds and flu are scheduled to be

> presented Friday. Among them, according to published abstracts,

are:

>

> • Scientists at the University of Virginia report on a study in

which

> people who had colds checked into hotel rooms overnight. After they

> checked out, researchers found rhinoviruses, the most common cold

> germs, all over surfaces in the rooms, especially door handles,

light

> switches, faucets, telephones and TV remote controls.

>

> • A second study from the University of Virginia found that organic

> acids, such as malic acid (found in sour apples) and citric acid

> (found in oranges and lemons), kill rhinoviruses on the hands and

> prevent hand-to-nose transmission of the viruses for up to four

hours.

> http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-27-mother-flu-shot_x.htm

>

[Guest guest]

You are right, Genny. The damage caused by mercury to the baby's brain would outweigh any benefit. Also, if a mother nurses her baby, the baby receives the benefit of her immune system. I had a virus when my son was one month old and he never even got the sniffles despite being constantly in very close contact with me and being nourished completely from my body. Day care and bottle feeding are the cohorts that encourage infant illness. A baby should be with the mother 24/7 for at least the first year IMO. TamarinGenny Gay <gynaphur48@...> wrote: Crazy fear mongering medicine !And impossible to know whether there would be any long term side effects on the baby as these would be described as "purely coincidental"!!!>> A mother's flu shot does double duty> By Anita Manning, USA TODAY> SAN FRANCISCO — Babies born to mothers who received a flu shot during > the last three months of pregnancy appear to be protected from > infection during their first six months of life, a study suggested > Wednesday.> The results of the study, presented at the Interscience Conference on > Anti-microbial Agents and Chemotherapy, bolster recommendations for > pregnant women to be immunized against flu, says

researcher Mark > Steinhoff of s Hopkins University in Baltimore. > > Steinhoff says the results came as part of a study of a pneumococcal > vaccine that involved 340 women in Bangladesh in their third > trimester of pregnancy. Half of the women got the pneumococcal > vaccine, and the other half got flu vaccine, which was used as a > control.> > Current vaccines are not licensed for babies under 6 months. The > study suggests that immunizing pregnant women can protect babies > during those months.> > "Pregnant women ought to take the vaccine because it will protect > them and their baby," Steinhoff says. > > The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pregnant women > are at risk for serious medical complications from flu related to > decreased lung capacity, increased heart rate and other conditions of > pregnancy. But

the message is not being heeded, says Poland, > professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.> > "Among the groups for whom influenza vaccine is recommended, the > lowest group (who receive it) is pregnant women, at 12.9%," says > Poland, who wasn't involved in the study.> > "I tell my patients: Get this vaccine to protect yourself and the > baby."> > Poland says some mothers are concerned about exposing the baby to a > vaccine preservative, thimerosal, which contains a small amount of > mercury, but studies have found "no known risk to the fetus," he > says, while there is a clear risk from flu. "Women in the first > trimester who get high fevers increase the risk of neural tube > defects" in their children, he says. > > Several other studies related to colds and flu are scheduled to be > presented Friday. Among them,

according to published abstracts, are: > > • Scientists at the University of Virginia report on a study in which > people who had colds checked into hotel rooms overnight. After they > checked out, researchers found rhinoviruses, the most common cold > germs, all over surfaces in the rooms, especially door handles, light > switches, faucets, telephones and TV remote controls.> > • A second study from the University of Virginia found that organic > acids, such as malic acid (found in sour apples) and citric acid > (found in oranges and lemons), kill rhinoviruses on the hands and > prevent hand-to-nose transmission of the viruses for up to four hours.> http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-27-mother-flu-shot_x.htm>

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