Pregnant women have higher risk of contracting swine flu virus
 The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement last week that according to a research that was published in The Lancet last July 29, 2009, there would be an increased risk of A (H1N1) virus among pregnant women. Expecting mothers were advised to be “alert of the symptoms of influenza-like illness”. This was “particularly [critical] during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.”
Though WHO says that there would be no fully licensed swine flu vaccine available until the end of the year, health officials suggest that pregnant women should be one of the top priorities in vaccination, together with “people with chronic respiratory problems, obesity, children and young to middle-aged adults.”
At onset of flu, WHO recommends the use of antiviral drugs as initial treatment to persons who have contracted or suspected to have H1N1 virus. Antiviral drugs initiated later than 48 hours may also be beneficial, lessening the risk of pneumonia which has been reported to be one of the causes of death in people infected with H1N1.
WHO also states that there is also a higher risk that H1N1 will cause severe illness especially among people with underlying medical conditions including the following:
- chronic lung disease (including asthma)
- cardiovascular disease
- diabetes
- immunosuppression
How to protect yourself and your family
Frequent hand washing is still the best recommendation of health experts.
Boost your immune system by drinking Ningxia Goji Drinks that come in Hazelnut Coffee, Chocolate and Mango flavours. While vaccines may not be available soon, these are alternatives that will certainly help you protect yourself and your family from H1N1 virus.
  
References:
Cheng, M. WHO: No licensed swine flu vaccine til end of year, posted July 13, 2009,
Associated Press. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/
ALeqM5i-Qd-q3ALSGUV0tZqwFVoy1GlGfQD99DLQ3O0
World Health Organization. (2009). Pandemic influenza in pregnant women,
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 5, July 31, 2009, Geneva. Retrieved August 5, 2009,
from
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/
h1n1_pregnancy_20090731/en/index.html
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