Considerations for Pregnant Women who are More likely to be Exposed to Novel H1N1 Flu at work: Information for Women in Education, Child Care, and Health Care

This information is for pregnant women who work in jobs where they are more likely to be exposed to people with confirmed, probable, or suspected novel H1N1 virus infection.

Schools and child care workers

Pregnant women working in school settings (e.g. teachers, day care workers) should follow the same guidance as non-pregnant school workers and the general public.

All health care workers in direct patient care, including pregnant women, should follow standard precautions with all patients, regardless of infection status. Health care workers treating patients with suspected or known illness easily transmitted by contact, droplet, or airborne transmission (e.g. influenza viruses) should do a risk assessment to determine the type of transmission-based precautions needed. Contact, droplet, or airborne precautions may be indicated

Pregnant women who will likely be in direct contact with patients with confirmed, probable, or suspected influenza A (H1N1) (e.g., a nurse, physician, or respiratory therapist caring for hospitalized patients), should consider reassignment to lower-risk activities, such as telephone triage.

If reassignment is not possible, pregnant women should avoid participating in procedures that may generate increased small-particle aerosols of respiratory secretions in patients with known or suspected influenza, including the following procedures:

• Endotracheal intubation
• Aerosolized or nebulized medication administration
• Diagnostic sputum induction
• Bronchoscopy
• Airway suctioning
• Positive pressure ventilation via face mask (e.g., BiPAP and CPAP)
• High-frequency oscillatory ventilation

** Adapted from CDC Atlanta