A Pregnant Pause

Pregnant women and mothers with children are probably the most worried of all when WHO announced the first flu pandemic in 41 years with 74 countries affected.

With the Summer break (and school holidays) coming up, many families would probably have planned their flights home or purchased their holiday packages months ahead at travel fairs, even before swine flu (A H1N1) was first reported in April (early Spring) US and Mexico.

As a pregnant mother with a 3.5 year old toddler planning her travel home and deciding where to deliver my baby, this announcement pretty much firms up our decision to go home.

Now, new questions come up:

Should I even travel?

Should I fly home in July (height of summer i.e. crowds)?

Later, maybe? Perhaps August or September when it’s blistering hot? I’ll need to leave before the change of seasons when seasonal flu is common (we had sore throat in Oct, croup in Nov),

Is there anything I can do to prevent infection?

I decided to visit the World Health Organization’s website for news, information and tips.

WHO’s compilation of resources on A(H1N1) swine flu in English

*Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish versions are found at the top.

Is it safe to travel?
The answer is YES because:

Influenza A(H1N1) has already been confirmed in many parts of the world. The global response now focuses on minimizing the impact of the virus through the rapid identification of cases, and providing patients with appropriate medical care, rather than on stopping its spread internationally.

Although identifying signs and symptoms of influenza in travellers can help track the path of the outbreak, it will not reduce the spread of influenza, as the virus can be transmitted from person to person before the onset of symptoms.

Interestingly, WHO does not believe that:

…entry and exit screenings would work to reduce the spread of this disease. However country-level measures to respond to a public health risk are the decision of national authorities…

Travellers shared with me that their temperatures were measured BEFORE they board/depart a plane. This far, nobody on Cathay Pacific or Malaysia Airlines have complained.

Guess they abide by WHO’s recommendation that:

Travellers should always be treated with dignity and respect for their human rights.

What can I do?

You can prevent getting infected by avoiding close contact with people who show influenza-like symptoms (trying to maintain a distance of about 1 metre if possible) and taking the following measures:

* avoid touching your mouth and nose;
* clean hands thoroughly with soap and water, or cleanse them with an alcohol-based hand rub on a regular basis (especially if touching the mouth and nose, or surfaces that are potentially contaminated);
* avoid close contact with people who might be ill;
* reduce the time spent in crowded settings if possible;
* improve airflow in your living space by opening windows;
* practise good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.

Should I wear a mask?
Those who are sick are recommended to but as we know, sick people are not always obedient! I’ll definitely get masks for us.

Situation updates and map (updated almost daily)

June 10’s table listing countries and reported cases and deaths and map with RED dots (in different sizes to show high cases according to countries/regions)

Scary red dots seen in North, Central and South America,
Western Europe. Alarming increases in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Spain, UK, US.

The medium dot for Singapore (18) overshadows Malaysia’s tiny dot (5).

Yikes, China was OK on June 10 (34) but now reports (174).(“Chinese Taipei has reported 24 (June 10), 36 (June 11) confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) with 0 deaths. Cases from Chinese Taipei are included in the cumulative totals provided in the table above”). What about Hong Kong?

What strikes me about the countries with high numbers (interestingly Brazil and South Africa are OK) is that they are:

high in number of visitors/travellers,

warming up for Summer now,

among top destinations for summer vacations (not sure about Panama),

known for high inter-continental or international travel.

What will I do?

Get all of us a good mask and keep them on throughout our journey (in-laws reported that many had them on).

Avoid crowds and try to keep the tot away from them too.

Get Hubby to arrange for the shortest connection possible!

Wash our hands frequently especially after going to the bathroom and before eating. Keep my hand sanitizer close (supposed to kill up to 99% germs).

Quickly change out of our travel clothes, soak them and take full showers before relaxing at home!

Let’s pray that this will work and that the situation will improve soon…

Key points from Dr. Margaret Chan (Director-General of WHO)’s announcement:

This particular H1N1 strain has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is entirely new. The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.

On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections.

We know that the novel H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years.

In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia. Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people..

Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups.

We do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world…it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems.

I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come.