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HPA guidance on pregnant workers and pandemic flu

07 May 2009

HPA guidance on Pregnant HCWs and Pandemic Flu This may help colleagues – it is an extract from the infection control guidance for pandemic flu, and this is the last of a long series of internal HPA emails which I have removed for your convenience From: Ebere Okereke Sent: 06 May 2009 11:00 Subject: RE: Advice for pregnant medical staff for swine flu - JH FORWARDED TO HPU DIRECTORS & ALL YH CCDCS So you don't have to plough through the document to find the relevant few lines, here it is: 4.4 Workers at risk of complications from pandemic influenza Healthcare workers who are at high risk of complications of influenza (eg pregnant women and immunocompromised workers) should be considered for alternate work assignments, away from the direct care of patients, for the duration of the pandemic or until they have been vaccinated if it is clinically appropriate for them to be vaccinated. At the very least they should not provide care to patients who are known to have influenza, and neither should they enter parts of the facility segregated for the treatment of patients with influenza. Regards Ebere Dr Ebere Okereke CCDC, West Yorkshire Health Protection Unit (Provided by Dr Rimmer)