Five Bay Area Pregnant Women Contract Swine Flu
CBS5 reports that at least five Bay Area pregnant women in their early third trimesters have been admitted to intensive care units due to complications with the H1N1 swine flu. Two of the women are no longer in ICU, and all of the fetuses appear to be fine. Some of the women were apparently in perfect health before contracting the virus, and others had unnamed underlying conditions.
According to CBS5, the Center for Disease Control said many pregnant women who are infected with H1N1 will not have a problem, but pregnant women are more likely to get sick in general and have more serious problems with seasonal flu, due to lowered immune systems. The Center for Disease Control has info on how to avoid contracting the virus, swine flu symptoms, and what to do if you get sick.
The World Health Organization declared the swine flu a pandemic on June 11, and many fear that the virus will mutate and come back even stronger in the fall and winter months, which is what happened with the flu pandemic in 1918.
May this serve as a reminder for us to keep our immune systems healthy by maintaining well-rounded diets, getting a good night's sleep, and washing our hands before touching our faces, and when we do catch a bug, to cover our coughs/sneezes and stay home when sick! Additionally, based on the discussion of Purell a few weeks back, apparently hand sanitizers are an effective precaution when soap and water aren't accessible, but antibacterial soaps are no better than plain soap and build up toxins in the body. In terms of stomach flu bacteria, this study found that hand sanitizers are only 44% effective in removing germs, versus plain water being 96% effective.