Pregnant women may be top priority for H1N1 swine flu vaccine

As H1N1 swine flu vaccine manufacturers work to hit dosage demands of governments around the world - and the virus demonstrates its ability to strike pregnant women - new priorities are being established for who should first receive the flu shot.

One of the more nasty characteristics of the H1N1 swine flu virus is its propensity for hitting pregnant women - and their unborn babies - quite hard. On Monday, a study emerged that linked the H1N1 infection in pregnant women with brain damage in their unborn babies. Given the threat facing the population of expectant mothers, it is becoming apparent that pregnant women should be a first priority for receiving the swine flu vaccine when the dosages become available later this fall. "Pregnant women account for 6 percent of U.S. swine flu deaths since the pandemic began in April, even though they make up just 1 percent of the U.S. population," the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. A federal vaccine advisory panel is meeting on Wednesday to determine the populations that should be considered the top priorities for the H1N1 swine flu vaccination. Pregnant women may be at the top of the list since they appear to have suffered at a disproportionately higher rate. "Are they more at risk for severe disease? That's the issue," Dr. Denise Jamieson, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Associated Press. The World Health Organization has not yet recommended that pregnant women receive top vaccination priority. "Only about 15 percent of pregnant women get seasonal flu shots, experts noted, so it's not clear how many will get the new shot," AP noted. "Some women avoid regular flu shots, worried about possible risks to the fetus, but studies have not shown any increased dangers from the shot." U.S. health officials expect to have 160 million vaccine doses available by October, enough for roughly 50 percent of the total U.S. population.