More women have died of swine flu in the State this year as compared to men, prompting the government to urge women to approach doctors for early detection.
Government officials say the tendency of women to ignore their health and the resultant delay in seeking treatment is probably contributing to the high number.
According to the data provided by the State public health department, of the 262 fatalities recorded this year, 138 were women. Most of the victims were from the working population of 20 to 45 years, a trend also seen in male victims.
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However, vaccination seems to be working for pregnant women, as the fatalities in this vulnerable group have relatively been in control. “So far, 10 pregnant women have succumbed to the viral infection, but the situation is much better than the previous outbreaks, when we lost more patients from this group,” said State epidemiologist Dr. Pradeep Awate.
Officials believe that the decision to vaccinate more than one lakh pregnant women in 2015-16 is paying off in the current outbreak. The State provides vaccination to women in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Though the vaccine provides immunity for a year, it has helped bring down the overall mortality among pregnant women in Maharashtra. According to Padmaja Keskar, the executive health officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, 1,600 women in Mumbai have been vaccinated free of charge this year.
“There is nothing to suggest that women are more susceptible. However, we should wait and see the where the statistics are by the end of the year,” said Dr. Om Shrivastav, an infectious disease specialist.
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However, a 2010 paper by the World Health Organization, which explored the role of sex and gender in influenza, had said that influenza morbidity and mortality data from seasonal outbreaks, previous pandemics and the first wave of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic revealed that the outcome of infection is generally worse for women, but that the magnitude of this difference varies across geographical regions.
“Although pregnancy is one factor contributing to a worse outcome in women, several additional risk factors may influence male-female differences in the outcome of influenza. For example, the severity of asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions as well as rates of diabetes and obesity is often worse in women than men.” the report said.
According to gynaecologist Ashok Anand from the State-run JJ Hospital, general observations have shown that women are undernourished than men, and therefore their resistance is low. “During pregnancy, they become even weaker,” he said.