Tulsa World: Pregnant women worry over vaccine

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Pregnant women worry over vaccine
The new injection against swine flu "is scary," says one mom-to-be.

Joey and Whittney Stauffer of Tulsa attend a childbirth education class at St. John Medical Center. ANDREW WACKER / For the Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 8/17/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 8/17/2009 3:32 AM

At five months pregnant, Erin Brown isn't sure yet whether she will be vaccinated against the swine flu this fall.

"I'm still a little bit on the fence about it," said the 23-year-old Tulsan. "Just the idea of having a vaccine I don't know exactly how it was cultivated and what's in it is scary. I'm a little iffy about getting something that hasn't been tested very long when I'm growing a child."

Pregnant women across Tulsa and the state are echoing Brown's concerns, particularly since the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently put pregnant women among the five priority groups for swine flu immunizations.

Pregnant women are at higher risk of complications and death, and are four times as likely to be hospitalized with the disease, the CDC said.

"It's kind of one of those things where there is no clear answer," said Tiffany Bjorlie, owner of ECO baby + kids, 3516 S. Peoria Ave.

She said many of her pregnant customers have expressed concern about the vaccine.

"As long as you educate yourself on all sides of the issue, then you can make your decision," Bjorlie said.

Dr. Louise Thurman, medical director of IPS Research in Oklahoma City, says the vaccine is nearly identical to the typical flu vaccine that has been proven safe for years.

IPS Research is preparing to perform clinical trials on the swine flu vaccine later this month.

"The only difference is the type of virus used. In this case, it's H1N1. It's not a live vaccine, so you're not going to get the flu," she said.

Thurman said pregnant women have to weigh the risks themselves.

"In my view, if you got the H1N1 flu and died, that's a bad outcome," she said. "But if you get the shot, odds are high that you'll have no problems. Maybe you would have mild flu symptoms."

She said pregnant women who get the shot will pass on that immunity to their unborn child, just as it is passed on with the seasonal flu shot.

And through so-called "herd immunity," pregnant women will help reduce the flu in their own families and communities, Thurman said.

Pregnant women experience physiological changes that appear to make them more susceptible to complications and death from swine flu, said Dr. Stanley Grogg, co-chairman of the Oklahoma Immunization Advisory Committee and interim director of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa.

"You now have a baby inside and it's requiring more blood supply. So there are changes in the heart and the respiratory system," he said. "The baby is pushing up on your diaphragm. That makes it harder to take a big breath and harder to get particles of the virus out of your system."

Grogg believes the safety of vaccines has improved immensely since the 1976 debacle when public health officials urged all Americans to get vaccinated against a swine flu epidemic that never materialized. Instead, dozens of people became ill with a rare condition linked to the vaccine, and some people died.

"People got sicker from the vaccine than the disease itself," he said.

The seasonal flu shot varies each year and is based on guesswork as to which strains of the virus are expected to circulate, Grogg said. The novel swine flu vaccine will be built in a similar way, based upon a template already proven safe, he said.

"We have safety standards now that we didn't have back then," he said. "I am confident the Food and Drug Administration is not going to release the vaccine unless it's safe."

Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (8/17/2009 5:33:44 AM) I would hate to face making that decision. No information if there would be any side affects to the unborn baby. Especially women that are in the very early stages of their pregnancy. Chances are there wouldn't be any problems.
	Report Comment Democrats Rock!, (8/17/2009 8:44:06 AM) DO NOT GET THIS SHOT. Take 10 minutes and google Guillain-Barr Syndrome and the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccination campaign.
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (8/17/2009 8:45:55 AM) Thats what they said about DES & Thalidomide too. No thank you, I'll wait til further testing is done. While many vaccines were a godsend, seems nowadays, everyone rushes for a vaccine to everything. I heard about one for diarrhea & ear infections. Really? What about the body's own natural immunities for fighting off germs & illnesses.
	Report Comment lynn213220, Broken Arrow (8/17/2009 9:14:00 AM) No way would I get this shot or my kids.
	Report Comment Aaron Miller, (8/17/2009 9:45:49 AM) Red Dirt Report dot com is the Oklahoma news site covering a lot of this information. As for the swine flu jab ... I would not recommend it.
	Report Comment Kim Archer, medical writer, (8/17/2009 9:51:32 AM) The Red Dirt Report doesn't do their own newsgathering. My story is on the web site now as breaking news.
	Report Comment Aaron Miller, (8/17/2009 10:21:30 AM) Red Dirt Report linked your story and has written their own stories on it as well. I check it often.
	Report Comment Aaron Miller, (8/17/2009 10:22:15 AM) Check out their story IPS Research addresses questions related to upcoming swine flu vaccine trials. They wrote it last week.
	Report Comment cheesepoff, That place next to BA (8/17/2009 12:38:05 PM) Its not even an epidemic and people go nuts. Its amazing what happens when the media reports the same thing over and over again.
	Report Comment Rock Elm, (8/17/2009 12:39:59 PM) DO NOT GET THIS SHOT. There IS a clear answer and it's that no one knows what will happen. Is this one reason we have so many autistic children -- too much "prevention" & too many unnecessary shots? These so-called experts say to educate yourself and you'll be fine. Will they be there if you have a baby who needs around the clock care? NO. If you're this worried about possibly catching something, stay indoors for the next 4 months and avoid people. It's easier than taking care of a damaged child for the rest of your life.
	Report Comment oky1, (8/17/2009 3:48:06 PM) test
	Report Comment oky1, (8/17/2009 3:56:17 PM) Ok, I guess we can't post links to web pages here too bad. Anyway: Alex Jones Archives Swine Flu vaccine & other toxic vaccines From looking at the articles in the link below, other research, & seeing the scientist comments & their peer reviewed studies of vaccines/swine flu vaccine this national vaccination program appears much like the history we’ve all read of the British/US militaries using small pox virus as a military weapon against populations such as the Native Americas by wiping the virus on blankets & give them to the Indians. As I understand this issue, even though the government has offered immunity to those involved in these vaccine programs, under US & International Law no government has the authority to commit War Crimes or Crimes Against Humanity in my opinion. Read the links for yourself. If you agree with my conclusion pass this along to your local school boards, civic & community leaders. You’ll have to google the link yourself: Prison Planet archives vaccines index
	Report Comment oky1, (8/17/2009 3:57:59 PM) This is from the CDC's own web pages: From the CDC: >> Bioterrorism Overview On this page: * What is Bioterrorism? * Bioterrorism Agent Categories * Bioterrorism Agents by Name * What You Can Do to Prepare * More Resources What is Bioterrorism? A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, can not. For information on which bioterrorism agents can be spread from person to person, please see the alphabetical list of bioterrorism agents.
	Report Comment oky1, (8/17/2009 4:11:50 PM) Yes, I understand the msg TW just sent me regard links & I'm trying to comply. What I was trying to post was related to government officials/doctors/etc., doing medical experiments on humans without their consent or knowledge & the laws derived from the Nuremberg Trials & what came to be commonly known today as the Nuremberg Defense & how I think it applies to these vaccine programs. I guess people can research it themselves.
	Report Comment oky1, (8/17/2009 4:31:58 PM) What do you think Kim Archer? Will the Tulsa World let you write the story behind what I just posted? If so please do it! Thanks.
	Report Comment Miss Smart A., (8/18/2009 6:55:05 AM) this IS testing. GET THE SHOT. china is counting on us
	Report Comment Kate's Mom, (8/24/2009 10:11:03 PM) I would love to see a story about Mother's who question DR's about vaccines and how they are treated because they choose to delay vaccinations. There are a number of mother's in the NWA area that the DR's are yelling at them because we want reassurance that these vaccines will not harm our children. The amazing thing is their IGNORANCE of what's in the drugs. Thermasol is not used but ALUMINUM IS!! Check out the aluminum content in these combo vaccines then look at the FDA's site on how much aluminum is dangerous for babies. My DR didn't even know it was in it. Is there a link between aluminum and austism???? Is there a study??? We are not a crazy fringe group as my DR says. We are educated women who want to protect our children at all costs. When did the drug companies become the good guys???

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