Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) yesterday questioned the Department of Health’s policy of encouraging pregnant women to receive the swine flu vaccine.
At a press conference in the legislature, Yang said that many countries, including the US and Japan, had barred pregnant women from receiving versions of the vaccine that contained adjuvants — immunological agents that are used to modify the effects of a vaccine.
“In Canada, [doctors] will not agree to give the [H1N1] vaccine with adjuvants to women who have been pregnant for more than five months unless vaccines without adjuvants are seriously insufficient,” Yang said, adding that Israel prohibits pregnant women from receiving the shots.
Yang expressed her concern after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) repeatedly urged pregnant women to get vaccinated against the flu.
CDC figures show that 878 victims of swine flu have been hospitalized in Taiwan and 38 have died.
Among the fatalities, 33 were pregnant, overweight, had cardiac problems, diabetes or renal problems. None had received the vaccine.
CDC spokesman Shih Wen-yi (施文儀), who was present at the conference, said he had never heard of such a ban.
“As far as I know, I’ve never heard of [the ban]. There must be some misunderstanding,” Shih said.
Shih said the Novartis vaccine contains adjuvants, while the local version produced by Adimmune does not.
“But in accordance with the WHO’s Briefing Note 14, all pregnant women should receive [H1N1] vaccines with or without adjuvants regardless of whether they are in the first, second or third trimester of pregnancy,” Shih said.
In related news, the CDC’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) yesterday completed investigations into three new complaints concerning injuries possibly related to the swine flu vaccine and said none was related to the vaccine.
VICP members met on Wednesday to discuss the three cases and the results of the meeting were made public in a press release yesterday.
The first case involved a 74-year-old woman suffering from high blood pressure, liver problems and diabetes. She developed red and swollen skin and eye secretions.
She was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a skin condition where cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis, a condition that is believed to be related to the immune system.
Rejecting any link to the vaccine, the VICP said the victim’s family members should file a drug compensation complaint with the CDC.
The second case involved a 52-year-old male with renal problems. He developed breathing difficulties on the day he received the vaccine. Three days later, physicians diagnosed him with a lung infection and he died after his condition became critical.
The final case involved a 14-year-old girl who began to feel dizzy after receiving the vaccine. Six days later, she went to hospital for a check up, but the results showed she was fine despite claims that she had difficulty urinating.
The VICP said it has received a total of 127 swine flu vaccine-related complaints so far. VICP members have investigated 28 cases, ruling that 26 were unrelated to the vaccines while two resulted in compensation.
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