The Central Epidemics Command Center (CECC) yesterday said there was no connection between the A(H1N1) influenza vaccine and 37 reported incidents of pregnant women losing their babies after having their flu shots.
“We performed an autopsy on two of the babies after their mothers alleged that the vaccines were related to their deaths. One died because of an abnormal placenta, while the other choked on the umbilical cord,” said Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), Department of Health (DOH) deputy minister and spokesman for the CECC.
After studying the two cases, a group of physicians who serve as advisers to the DOH found that neither incident was caused by the new vaccine and Chang insisted that, based on the results to date, the immunization program is safe for pregnant women.
Chang said that the latest statistics show that more than 13,000 pregnant women have received their vaccines, a figure reflecting mistrust of the vaccine among pregnant women. There are approximately 200,000 pregnant women in the nation.
Of the pregnant women to have received their shots, 37 have suffered a miscarriage.
“More than 13,000 pregnant women have been immunized. The ratio of miscarriages is lower than for pregnant women who have not taken the shots and the ratio of stillborn babies is the same for the two groups,” Chang said.
The DOH would continue to monitor the effect of the vaccines on pregnant women and their babies, he said.
A Centers for Disease Control staffer said her agency had received 22 applications for redress from people who have suffered problems after receiving the vaccine.
Among them, one had been filed by a pregnant woman and her case is still being reviewed.
Of the other 21 applications, three have been screened by a team of medical experts, who found that the conditions reported had “nothing to do with the new vaccines,” Chang said.
The three cases involved an 82-year-old man who died because of acute cerebrovascular disease, or a heart attack; a 19-month-old baby whose right eyelid droop was caused by a disease of the immune system; and a senior high school student who became numb on the left side of her body after receiving the vaccine, but whose neural functions were found to be normal following a further examination.
Family members who are not satisfied by the panel’s judgment could take legal action for a forensic examination to determine an exact cause of death.
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