New research has found a link between the flu vaccine and miscarriage in early pregnancy.
Women who get a certain type of flu shot -that includes protection against the swine flu -for two years in a row, are at increased risk for miscarriage according to a new study
The Washington Post reports:
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It’s the first study to identify a potential link between miscarriage and the flu vaccine and the first to assess the effect of repeat influenza vaccination and risk of miscarriage. The findings suggest an association, not a causal link, and the research is too weak and preliminary, experts said, to change the advice, which is based on a multitude of previous studies, that pregnant women should get a flu vaccine to protect them from influenza, a deadly disease that may cause serious birth defects and miscarriage. But the study is likely to raise questions about the safety of the vaccine as flu season gets underway.
“I think it’s really important for women to understand that this is a possible link, and it is a possible link that needs to be studied and needs to be looked at over more [flu] seasons,” said Amanda Cohn, senior adviser for vaccines at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which funded the study.
As Vaxxter rightly asks: while they continue to “study” this issue, pregnant women should just continue getting the flu shot?
Currently, the the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the CDC advise women to get a flu shot during any stage of their pregnancy. They say it is safe for both mother and fetus.
The results of the new study are published in journal Vaccine.
Niamh Harris
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