State govt advises pregnant women not to get vaccines

State govt advises pregnant women not to get vaccines

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.05.2021

Tamil Nadu Department of Public Health (DPH) has advised pregnant and lactating women not to get vaccinated as they were not a part of the vaccine trial.

“Vaccines at present in use are contraindicated in pregnant and lactating women. Moreover the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech vaccine literature also does not recommend such vaccination,” the DPH said in its internal circular to all health authorities on Thursday.

The advisory comes a week after the Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) recommended Covid-19 vaccines for pregnant and breastfeeding women, but with precautions to manage adverse events.

“It is a risk worth its benefit,” said Ramani Devi, vicepresident of FOGSI said, referring to international research studies. Due to an acute viral infection during the antenatal period, particularly when they are nearing the term, the baby might go into a sudden death. So they should be prioritized during vaccination along with other high-risk groups, she said.

In case pregnant women missed getting vaccinated during the antenatal period, FOGSI strongly advises lactating women to get vaccinated as there is a chance that antibodies might get transmitted to the newborn through mother’s milk.

In contrast, a senior doctor from the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Egmore, said that there was no solid data about the adverse reactions to the newborn and mothers, who were already in an immunocompromised state. “It is better not to take any risk,” she said.

Meanwhile, K Vinay Kumar, Joint Director of DPH, on Thursday requested all districtlevel health authorities to escalate the matter with their respective collectors and has advised pregnant and lactating women, working in government and private sector, not to get vaccinated now and highrisk among them to avail leave as per rules in force.

DPH in an advisory said the Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech vaccine literature does not recommend vaccination for pregnant and lactating women