New mother with swine flu has died

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Swine flu woman dies after birth



Page last updated at 12:39 GMT, Monday, 2 November 2009



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Pregnant women are urged to get the swine flu vaccine





</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF -->A 31-year-old woman who contracted swine flu during her pregnancy has died days after giving birth. The woman was given a caesarean section after being admitted to Salford Royal Hospital with flu-like symptoms.

But her condition worsened and she died in the early hours of Saturday. NHS officials are awaiting a report from the coroner on the cause of her death.

Health bosses said pregnant women with swine flu usually only develop mild symptoms and should carry on as normal.
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Dr Julie Higgins, NHS Salford Director of Public Health, said: "Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the lady.

"The NHS will do all we can to support them through this difficult time.

"The swine flu vaccine is being rolled out to GP practices and I would encourage anyone offered the jab to get it.

"Our advice to pregnant women is to keep up with their normal day-to-day activities, such as going to work, travelling on public transport, attending events and family gatherings; but to observe good hand hygiene.

"Avoid contact with anyone who is suspected of having Swine Flu, and contact your GP as soon as you have flu-like symptoms."




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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/8337980.stm

 

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Re: Swine flu woman dies after birth

Re: Swine flu woman dies after birth

New mother with swine flu has died

Nov 2 2009

A woman who contracted swine flu died just weeks after giving birth to her first child, a health authority has confirmed.

Susan Ford, 31, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, fell ill with the virus when she was 31 weeks pregnant.

After being admitted to Salford Royal Infirmary, Ms Ford's daughter, Poppy, was delivered by Caesarean section but the new mother's condition failed to improve and she died 18 days after giving birth.

Dr Ruth Hussey, the North West Regional Director of Public Health, said there is a risk that pregnant women who catch the virus can develop complications.

Dr Hussey said: "I would like to start by saying how sorry we are to hear about this death.

"Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the person concerned.

"The NHS will do all it can to support them through this difficult time. We are collecting information to piece together a picture of how this virus is behaving and affecting people, which will inform how we respond to swine flu.

"Most pregnant women with swine flu will only get mild symptoms, but there can be a risk of developing complications.

"Our advice to pregnant women is to keep up with their normal day-to-day activities, such as going to work, travelling on public transport, attending events and family gatherings; but to observe good hand hygiene, avoid contact with anyone who is suspected of having swine flu, and contact your GP as soon as you have flu-like symptoms.

"The swine flu vaccine is being rolled out to GP practices and pregnant women have been identified as a priority group for vaccination and I would urge anyone offered the jab to get it."

http://www.loughboroughecho.net/new...other-with-swine-flu-has-died-73871-25075202/

 

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Re: New mother with swine flu has died

Swine Flu mother dies just 18 days after emergency caesarian that saved her baby from virus

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By James Tozer
Last updated at 10:22 AM on 03rd November 2009

A mother has died from swine flu after giving birth to her first child.
Susan Ford, 31, was 35 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to hospital with severe, flu-like symptoms.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly and she was given an emergency caesarean section early the following day.

Tragic: Susan Ford who died from swine flu while in hospital is pictured here with her fiance John Freeman

Staff delivered a healthy daughter, Poppy, but Miss Ford's condition became more acute and she died over the weekend, just 18 days after becoming a mother.

Yesterday her devastated family questioned why she had not been treated on a special blood oxygenating machine.

The UK has 14 Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machines - originally used in cardiac surgery - which temporarily take over the lung function and add oxygen to the blood.

Doctors have found they can help patients with severe complications from swine flu by allowing their lungs to recover while medication to treat infection can take hold.

However health chiefs said ECMO machines represented 'a limited benefit for a small number of patients' and may carry risks for some.


They said Miss Ford, a postgraduate student, had been too ill to have benefited from ECMO treatment.

Earlier this year a pregnant Scottish woman, Sharon Pentleton, was flown to Sweden for treatment on one because none were available in the UK. She survived and gave birth to a boy.

Miss Ford, who was engaged to her partner John Freeman, 26, was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital from her home in Leigh, Greater Manchester, last month.

After surgery to deliver Poppy, she was placed on a ventilator and transferred to intensive care.

Doctors confirmed she had the H1N1 virus and she was given Tamiflu, but she developed severe pneumonia and died on Saturday.

Poppy, who weighed 5lb 8oz, was due to go home from hospital yesterday.

Miss Ford's mother Wynne said: 'The staff at the hospital did everything they could for Susan. I can't fault them at all.'

She called for ECMO machines to be put in every major hospital.

'We don't know if Susan would have survived if she had access to one, but we believe that she would have had a better chance.'

There were an estimated 78,000 new cases of swine flu in Britain last week, up from 53,000 the week before.

The death toll last week stood at 137, including six mothers-to-be.

NHS chiefs stressed that most pregnant women with swine flu showed only minor symptoms. But they urged all mothers-to-be to have the H1N1 vaccination when they are contacted by their GP over coming weeks.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224644/Mother-dies-swine-flu-just-days-giving-birth-child.html#ixzz0Vo90rcQw