Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chairman Tsai Hong-te (蔡鴻德) said yesterday women in the first three months of pregnancy should not receive the swine flu vaccine.
Women more than three months pregnant should take the advice of their doctor when deciding whether to get vaccinated, Tsai said.
Tsai, who held a press conference at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), complained that his previous comments on the vaccine had been misreported by the media.
He was referring to a report in the latest edition of Next Magazine quoting him saying that pregnant women should not take the vaccine and that the CDC should reconsider its vaccination program, especially for pregnant women, noting that the vaccine could have a negative effect on pregnant women and their babies.
“I have always recommended that women in their first three months of pregnancy should not take the vaccine. I never said all pregnant women should not take the vaccine, as has been reported,” said Tsai, who is also department of obstetrics and gynecology director at Changhua Christian Hospital.
Tsai told the press conference that vaccines always have side effects, no matter what kind of vaccine they are, but these side effects were usually minor and would do no harm. Pregnant women, however, need to be more careful than other people because the side effects may not harm adults, but they could have a negative effect on the brain of the fetus, especially in the first three months of pregnancy.
As it is the first time the nation has produced a swine flu vaccine, pregnant women should be clearly advised of the possibility of negative reactions before they receive the shots, he said.
CDC Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) told the press conference it was up to pregnant women as to whether they have the vaccine, but that those close to them can help protect the expectant mother by receiving the vaccine themselves.
“If people close to a pregnant woman are protected by the vaccine, the expectant mother would not have to take the shot to remain largely safe,” Kuo said.
Pregnant women constitute a high-risk group that is vulnerable to the swine flu infection. Figures show that 10 percent of all swine flu patients in the US and 9.6 percent of all cases in China were pregnant women, Department of Health officials said early this month.
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