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One in seven pregnancies in the U.S. ends in miscarriage, and in some countries, that rate is much higher.
Knowing that, it isn’t surprising that some women who received a flu vaccination will experience a miscarriage in the weeks that follow.
While some mothers may reflexively blame the jab, the vaccine is rarely at fault. Still, public health officials monitor and investigate such cases on the off chance that the vaccine really was responsible.
Today out of Hong Kong we get this report indicating that the incidence of fetal death is no higher among women who received the vaccine than those who have not.
No abnormality found in foetal deaths
There has been no abnormal surge in intrauterine deaths and spontaneous abortion since the start of the human swine flu vaccination programme, Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Thomas Tsang said today.
One of the mothers of the two intrauterine deaths had gestational diabetes mellistus and the other was on medication. There is no evidence yet suggesting the deaths were related to the vaccination.
In Hong Kong up to 220 stillbirths are recorded every year, and the rate is 0.3% to 0.5% of total deliveries, he said. The rate of stillbirths in inoculated mothers so far is 0.2%, and within the normal rate.
The centre has received reports of four spontaneous abortions recently. Three mothers were in the first trimester of pregnancy, the other in the second trimester. Dr Tsang said there are more than 10,000 cases of spontaneous abortion in Hong Kong annually, and four spontaneous abortions are well within the normal rate.
The centre has received reports of other cases, including tinnitus, bloody urine, transient numbness and even terminal stomach cancer, but none are believed to be related to the vaccination.
Dr Tsang said the second batch of 2.5 million doses of the vaccine has arrived and the Government will soon decide how they will be used.
