Pregnancy a Key Risk Factor for H1N1 Flu

How a Healthy 27-Year-Old Lost Her Unborn Child - and Nearly Her Own Life - in a Three-Month Battle with the Virus

(CBS)  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.

Special Report: H1N1 Virus

"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.

[jsue62]

What the hell is she doing smoking while pregnant any way, that is not a good mother. And a baby almost 3 ponds should be able to survive now a days.

[redlisa123]

I am sorry but an occassional smoker is not a healthy 27 year old. Her lung capacity is already slightly diminished. This sounds like a terrible thing that happened and awfully fishy and missing alot of the story because I don't see a good reason why this child only lived 7 minutes. I think it is just a scare tactic to pad the pockets of vaccine makers. I am pregnant at 24 weeks and I am not getting a shot filled with mercury for me and my unborn baby. Sorry to the family.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
Aubrey tells friends who are pregnant to remember her case. "I wish I would have had the opportunity to have a vaccine," she said.

bon conseil audrey...
j'espére qu'elles tiendront compte. de votre conseil..pour leur bien et celui de leur bébé....
je suis désolée pour votre petite fille mais ne vous en faites pas des enfants vous en aurez.. vous etes jeune..prenez soin de vous aubrey..au revoir

[jackapgan]

What about the vitamin C connection? Pregnant and ovulating women have lower vitamin c levels and she was a smoker - smoking also lowers vitamin c levels. There have been many studies since it's discovery that vitamin c can help fight the flu. Why isn't the media telling people to up their vitamin c intake?

[eiddam]

I have no doubt how serious the virus, but the reason it was spread. The WHO stated in the 70's our world was over populated, and then came the outbreak of Swine Flu, in which many died from the virus and the vaccine,-- followed by Aids. The WHO stated that again a few years ago. It seems when a virus is named after an animal, bird, or foreigner, is was perhaps made at places like Fort Detrick. One may be interested in reading the book, Death in the AIR, by Leonard Horowitz.

[Lawyers-Guns-n-Money-01]

Uh oh, I believe this might be the wrath of God inflicting retribution on us heteros.

It's a straight disease. (No gays allowed)

[2ndSamuel710]

?There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunizations of children does more harm than good.?- Dr. J. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer & virogolist, FDA
?There is no evidence that any vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know that they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.?- Dr. J. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer & virologist FDA
?The only safe vaccine is a vaccine that is never used.?- Dr. James A. Shannon, National Institutes of Health.
?There is NO evidence whatsoever of the ability of vaccines to prevent any disease. To the contrary, there is a great wealth of evidence that they cause serious side effects.? Dr. Viera Scheibner, Ph.D.
?The medical authorities keep lying. Vaccination has been a disaster on the immune system. It actually causes a lot of disease.?- Guylaine Lanctot M.D.
?Crib death was so infrequent in the pre-vaccination era that it was not even mentioned in the statistics., but it started to climb in the 1950s with the spread of mass vaccination against diseases of childhood.?- Harris Coulter, Ph.D.
?This vaccine has been shown to cause serious reactions including convulsions, anaphylactoid allergic reactions, serum sickness-like reactions & death.? (Pediatrics, 1987, Milstien et al., 80:270-274
?My data proves that the studies used to support immunization are so flawed that it is impossible to say if it provides a net benefit to anyone or to society in general. The question can only be determined by proper studies which have never been performed.? John B. Classen MD, MBA
?No person would permit anybody to get close to them with an inoculation if they knew how they were being made, what they carry & how they are being lied to.? Dr. Eva Snead, MD, MBA
Scared yet?.. I hate people who play on people's fear & poison others 2 make filthy lucre.. Truth is- NO vaccination has EVER proven 2 be safe/effective.. Quite contrary true.. Anything other just $ motives- medical lies/propaganda, public ignorance, fear/scare campaign tactics 2 make filthy $ expense people's health/suffering.. Especially children.. Your due diligence.. Ian Sinclair's web- Vaccination Debate.com.- great start.. Graphs, quotes/common sense.. Example- "..is great deal of evidence 2 prove immunization of children does more harm than good."- Dr. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer, FDA.. Understatement there Anthony & misuse of word immunization 2 because vaccines never give immunity.. Cause autism, criminal behavior, low grades-concentration, allergies, asthma.. Cheerleader Desiree Jennings neurological.. Amish have no autism- take no shots.. All vaccines soon go same way as "blood letting" used 4- 2,000 years by medicine. VacLib.org. Drs. True Ott, Rebecca Carley, Sherri Tenpenny. Evils of Vaccinations show archived on Anglo-Saxon Israel.com. Health is priceless.. NO amount $ can really buy it..

[mama022007]

Are you SERIOUS? Abortion?
You know, I am a Christian, most definitely pro-life, and I would never think for a single minute that this is a case that could be labeled with that unspeakable term.
So...I suppose all of these women who develop pre-eclampsia, whose only cure is delivery regardless the age of the developing baby, if they are delivered by emergency c-section and their child does not survive, even though NEITHER the mother or child would have survived any other way, that this should be considered an abortion? A child is considered viable at 24 weeks, and it sounds like their daughter was 24-26 weeks, so there WAS a chance of survival, even though this did not happen.
Abortion is when the parent or parents willingly and purposefully murder their child for their own selfish reasons, not a heart wrenching decision of life or death.
I thank God every day that my son was born at 35 weeks and survived being born early due to a decision that saved both of our lives. If he would not have survived, I could not even imagine having to deal with someone like you, who ignorantly would lump a grieving Mother into a category with those who have no consciences. You should be ashamed of yourself. No wonder everyone thinks all pro-lifers are insane.

[mama022007]

This is in response to the comment below by sandy19731, by the way

[bubbadubba]

"CDC says to assume 1 in every 100000 vaccine recipients will suffer ... potentially lethal adverse reactions to the novel H1N1 vaccine"

And the truth shall set you free, not propaganda paid for by the drug companies.
1 in every 100,000 healthy people will die from the vaccine (that would be over 2,000 people if most got the vaccine) but only a few hundred have died from the disease itself and almost all were already sick with a serious health problem?
Please people use the common sense that God gave you and think twice about these type of stories bought and paid for by Wall Street.
How stupid is America?

[retiredgustav]

My sympathy to the family it must have been a very dificult decision.
If the social conservatives had their way both of them would have died and they would have said it was god's will.

[sandy19731]

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.


An abortion decision made by a man. That doesn't happen too often.