Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Timely reminder of a flu jab to mums-to-be
Get free immunisation
Donna Matheson’s preparations for the forthcoming arrival of her second child included an important trip to Airdrie health centre – to ensure she was vaccinated against flu.
The local mum received her free immunisation from nurse Julie Smith at the centre’s Wellwynd practice, while her threeyear-old son Innes was also vaccinated using a nasal spray.
She wanted to ensure she was immunised after experiencing flu in the past; and is encouraging all fellow mums-to-be to do the same after health officials highlighted that 50 per cent of pregnant women did not receive the vaccine last winter.
Health professionals are urging pregnant women to get vaccinated, outlining the risk of flu for expectant mothers and their babies and saying that the immunisation is “safe to receive at any stage of pregnancy”.
Donna, 38, said: “After spending one Christmas and New Year in bed with a bout of flu, I know how miserable it can ben and knew it was something I didn’t want to experience again.
“I spent over a week barely able to move and suffering from sickness, aches and fevers. Like many people, I’d thought I’d had flu before, but it was only then that I really knew the difference between a bad cold and the flu.
“When you consider the threat from flu to you and your child and how much that is increased because of the changes to your body during pregnancy, it’s worth doing everything you can to keep you both safe. I would definitely advise mums-to-be to get the vaccine.”
Officials note statistics have shown that pregnant women who contract flu are five times more likely to have a stillborn baby or to lose the baby within the first week of birth, and one in 11 women who died shortly after or during childbirth was because of flu.
Gillian Smith, director of the Royal College of Midwives Scotland, said: “It is more important than ever for pregnant women to protect themselves against flu, particularly with reports that this year’s flu season could be serious.
“At any stage of pregnancy it is dangerous for the mother and unborn baby to contract flu – it can cause premature labour, miscarriage and even stillbirth as well as making the mother seriously unwell.
More important than ever for pregnant women to protect themselves against flu
“Expectant mothers can receive the vaccine at any stage of their pregnancy; it only takes a few minutes and will help protect them for around a year and as well as protecting the baby for around three months after birth.”
The free flu vaccine will be offered to more than 1.8 million people in Scotland this winter, including pregnant women, over-65s, children under 12, carers and those with health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and bronchitis.