Pregnancy a Key Risk Factor for H1N1 Flu
Federal health officials have admitted their early timetable for distributing the H1N1 flu vaccine was far off the mark. They originally forecast having about 40 million doses available by the end of October. But, as of Monday, less than half that number are ready.
Among those who may need the vaccine most are pregnant women, as CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton reports.
As H1N1 vaccine clinics have started to spring up, some pregnant women are choosing to line up.
"I feel like I can pass the protection on to my newborn daughter," one expectant mother said.
To understand how dangerous the H1N1 virus can be for pregnant women, consider the case of 27-year-old Aubrey Opdyke, who is just beginning her slow recovery from a near death experience.
"I almost lost my life because of this flu," she said. "I never thought it would happen to me."
This past July, the South Florida mother caught what she thought was a cold. It became life threatening within days, sending her to the intensive care unit at Wellington Regional Medical Center.
Clinging to life for more than three months, she spent five weeks in a drug-induced coma, suffering collapsed lungs, kidney failure and seizures.
An occasional smoker, she had no underlying health conditions. Her biggest risk factor for H1N1? She was six months pregnant when she got sick.
Pregnancy suppresses the immune system and as the baby grows, there is less room for the lungs to expand, making breathing more difficult.
"I was not sure every day if she would be there the next morning or not," said Michele Beck-Torres, Aubrey's obstetrician-gynecologist. "That's how bad her lungs were; that's how bad this virus hit her."
At least 100 pregnant women have been admitted to intensive care units across the country with complications of H1N1; 28 have died. That is why pregnant women are considered a priority group to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
CDC: Learn More About H1N1
CDC: What To Do If You Get Sick
Flu.gov: Where To Get Your Flu Shots
Just two weeks into Aubrey's fight with the virus, her husband Bryan had to make a life and death decision; doctors could save either his wife or their unborn baby.
"It was really hard, it was hard to do," he said.
Their baby daughter was delivered by emergency c-section; weighing just 2 pounds, 3 ounces. She survived only seven minutes.
Aubrey tells friends who are pregnant to remember her case. "I wish I would have had the opportunity to have a vaccine," she said.