What would the smallpox and anthrax vaxes do to an unborn baby?

[Faith]

I know a woman in the army, who was being sent to Iraq. She kept telling her superiors that she was pregnant, and they basicly just told her that no she wasn't. : She finally got 'permission' (not sure how the army really works) to go to the Dr. and get a test. She never saw the results but was told again that she was not preg, and then was given the anthrax and small pox vaxes, then shipped off to another base before leaving the country. At the second base, she was able to get a second test done- and it shows that she is in fact pregnant. (And probably a few months along, since she has not been home with her DH in quite some time.)

I barely know her (more of a friend of a friend), but cannot stop thinking about her and her baby! What are the chances of it being okay? Was it the army's fault, or her fault for not refusing the vaxes when she thought she was pregnant?

I am close to the unborn baby's grandma, and this poor older woman does not need any more stress/death in her life. All I can think of is a cousin I had who died at birth, due to her mom being given a much less dangerous shot in her early pregnany that caused a heart defect in the baby.

Anyway, the last I heard, this woman was sent home since pg people can't go to Iraq, and they are basicly just waiting...
Do you think the baby will be okay?

[Tracy]

wow. that is so sad and very, very maddening. I wish they would have listened to her when she said she was pregnant.

I don't have an answer but I did find this...

in the event of a smallpox outbreak, the cdc says they would vax pregnant women, so I think they are on the side that there is less inclined to be bad complications? I say that with a big questionmark but stilll....it might be of some comfort...

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...contraind.html

"In an outbreak emergency, everyone who has been in contact with a person with smallpox or was exposed to the virus is recommended to receive the one-dose vaccine, regardless of his or her age, allergies, pregnancy, or medical conditions," the guide states

all in all I'm sad that the military forced the issue.

[Elphaba]

a-holes! those vaccines are not supposed to be given to pregnant women, and the smallpox one is contraindicated for nursing mothers as well, and also for anyone with an infant.

there's just no way to know exactly what harm was caused until the baby is born.

I am so so sorry this happened to your friend.

[Nemmer]

I wish I could post words of comfort, but your post reminded me of this article:

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/p...&siteid=106694

[Mamid]

aw gez... now I just want to cry for that poor baby.

Stupid idiots.

then again, your friend should have just gotten an HPT and tested that way if they weren't letting her know the results of her tests...

but that doesn't excuse the doctors for their negligence!

[Faith]

Thanks everybody, for letting me know.

I guess at least now when I talk to the grandma, I can gently prepare her for a less than perfect outcome...

As for the parents, they are supposed to find out more about the baby as the pregnancy progresses and more tests are done, etc. But they do not seem like the type of people to look into things on their own, so I doubt they know the whole facts of what they are dealing with.