HYDERABAD: Pregnant women are more vulnerable to swine flu. Of the 11 deaths reported in the state due to swine flu since January, four were pregnant women.
Of the 112 swine flu cases reported in the state during the same period a considerable number are pregnant women.
On Tuesday a pregnant woman from Visakhapatnam was also tested positive for swine flu.
Till date as many as 112 swine flu positive cases were reported in the state, of which 64 are women. Of the 11 deaths reported, seven are women, two girls and the remaining two are men.
Speaking to Express nodal officer of swine flu disease in the state Dr K Subhakar said that during pregnancy mother and the foetus need more oxygen which is possible only with better functioning of the lungs.
Subhakar said there is nothing wrong in pregnant women taking Tamiflu tablets when infected with swine flu. Normally, physicians would ask for an X-ray whenever people are diagnosed with any pulmonary disease, but pregnant women were refusing to take X-ray believing that it would harm the foetus.
Subhakar advised pregnant women not to travel much and take nutritious food particularly fluids.