By Kirstie Perrotta, MPH, MotherToBaby California As if pregnant women don’t have enough to worry about, a once eradicated infectious disease is back and making headlines: Measles. Not even half way through 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that the number of measles cases in the United States (U.S.) has surpassed 700, the highest number ever reported since the disease was eliminated from this country in 2000. Cases have been reported in states across …
The Baby Blog: measles
Birth Defects Prevention Month Series: Vaccination in Pregnancy-It Doesn’t Have to Be a Painful Decision
By Beth Conover, APRN, CGC MotherToBaby Nebraska, UNMC “I am 20 weeks pregnant…when is it safe to get my flu shot?” The texted question came in to the MotherToBaby texting helpline, and the answer that I texted back was simple – “As soon as possible…it’s safe at any time in pregnancy and really important for you and your baby!” Once we are into influenza (flu) season (November to March), pregnant women are strongly recommended to get immunized (vaccinated), regardless of how far along they are …
When Measles Strike, It’s Not The Happiest Place On Earth For Pregnant Women
By Sonia Alvarado, Senior Teratogen Information Specialist, MotherToBaby CA “Martha,” a 27 year-old pregnant woman from Long Beach, anxiously cried out over the telephone, “What if I have measles?! I’ll never live with myself if my baby suffers because I may not have gotten vaccinated?!” “Let’s take a deep breath, Martha, and walk me through the last couple of weeks,” I calmly replied. “When exactly did you visit Disneyland?” Granted, this is not the typical conversation one would expect from …
