該打flu shot 嗎?

Richard 前天已經去打flu shot了，他前兩三個星期有感冒症狀，他可是非常的緊張，連忙去藥房買藥吃!深怕傳染給我...上個月，我打了電話問醫生，我是不是可以打flu shot，Dr. Lustig說沒問題。但是....我還是很猶豫! 到底要打還是不要打?!

搜尋了很多資料，都說懷孕的婦女和哺乳的婦女可以打flu shot。可是...把病毒打進體內，好嗎?! 我真的很猶豫~

看 了這篇文章，「Pregnant women -- especially those in late pregnancy -- are at risk for complications from influenza, or "the flu," even if they are healthy.」 而且「Pregnant women with asthma are at particularly high risk for hospitalization during the flu season.」

唉唷~ astham耶!這不在說我嗎? >_< 真是糟糕.... 剩下10周.... 到底該怎樣好呢?! @_@ 11-12 月及3-4月都是flu seasons! 已經有很多人感冒了...唉呀呀! 真是煩惱哇! 要打的話，我明天就得打電話跟醫生說!因為我星期一就要找醫生報到! 我可不想跑兩次，要打就得確定她那兒有針劑囉.... >_< Pregnancy and the Flu

Pregnant women -- especially those in late pregnancy -- are at risk for complications from influenza, or "the flu," even if they are healthy. The most thorough study of influenza-related illness during pregnancy was reported in 1998(1). This study examined the effect of the flu on pregnant women during 17 previous influenza seasons.

The study found that during the flu season pregnant women in the third trimester were just as likely to be hospitalized for heart or lung problems as women with serious, chronic medical conditions who were not pregnant. The risk increased the farther along the pregnancy. Healthy women at 37 to 42 weeks gestation were almost five times as likely to be admitted to the hospital during the flu season for heart or lung problems as women who were one to six months postpartum. Pregnant women with asthma are at particularly high risk for hospitalization during the flu season(2).

Because of these findings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommend that women who will be pregnant during the flu season get the flu shot(3). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) concurs with this recommendation(4). So check your calendar; if your pregnancy overlaps with the flu season (usually late November through March), you should get a flu shot. This is especially the case if you are in the second or third trimester (past 13 weeks) during the flu season.

Will the flu shot help?
It is reasonable to believe that the flu shot will provide protection against the flu in pregnant women (as it does in senior citizens) though this has not been confirmed in the published literature to date(5).

Is the flu shot safe in pregnant women?

Since the flu shot is an inactivated vaccine (containing no live virus), it is felt by vaccine experts to be safe for pregnant women. In fact, an early study of the flu shot in more than 2,000 pregnant women revealed no excess malignancies in the fetus(6). A similar but smaller study showed no harmful effects of the flu shot on the fetus or the mother(7). More recent research showed no serious adverse effects from the flu shot in the perinatal period or during the first 6 months of infant life(8). While the numbers of patients in these studies are relatively small, these results are very reassuring.

Thimerosal, a preservative that contains a minute amount of mercury in compound form, is present in the standard flu vaccine (the classic "flu shot"). It is considered to be a safe vaccine component by the CDC (see www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/thimerosal.htm). Nonetheless, a California state law effective July 1, 2006 mandates the use of influenza vaccine that has zero or trace amounts of mercury in two patient groups:

1) Children under 36 months of age
2) Pregnant women

In accordance with this new law and while supplies last, PAMF will provide thimerosal-free vaccine to pediatric patients ages 6 to 35 months and women who are pregnant when they present for vaccination.

What do physicians think?
Many experts (including ACOG) feel the flu shot may be given in all three trimesters of pregnancy. Some physicians prefer to wait until after the first trimester. If you are pregnant and would like to discuss the flu shot further, please consult your primary care physician, obstetrician, or one of the flu shot clinic consultants.