DEATHS FROM ASIAN INFLUENZA ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY

Abstract

Abstract 1. Clinical and autopsy findings in 11 deaths from Asian influenza associated with pregnancy are described. These deaths were all evaluated by the Minnesota Maternal Mortality Study Committee. 2. Asian influenza was the leading cause of maternal mortality in Minnesota in 1957. 3. Fifty per cent of deaths from Asian influenza in Minnesota among women of childbearing age occurred in pregnant women. 4. The deaths associated with pregnancy were all characterized by fulminating and overwhelming edematous pneumonia with respiratory insufficiency as the immediate cause of death. This is in contrast with deaths due to influenza reported in nonpregnant individuals where secondary bacterial infections account for a large proportion. 5. The value of routine vaccination of pregnant women with suitable influenza vaccine has been discussed.