The terms ‘women’ and ‘woman’ have been quietly scrubbed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on flu vaccines during pregnancy.
DailyMail.com found all gender-specific terms — also including ‘she’, ‘her’ and ‘mother’ — were wiped from the CDC webpage when it was updated last August. They have been replaced by the gender-neutral terms ‘pregnant people’, ‘their’ or erased entirely.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) said there was ‘no logical scientific reason’, claiming it was ‘clearly a political move’.
It is the latest example of CDC medical advice being de-sexed in an attempt to be more inclusive to trans people. DailyMail.com revealed last month women had also been omitted from monkeypox guidance.
But experts warn using neutral terms in gender-specific health advice muddles messaging — especially for those who are vulnerable or whose first language isn’t English.
Flu vaccines are particularly important for pregnant women, who are at a much higher risk of severe disease. DailyMail.com has approached the CDC for comment.
It comes as the US is in the midst of its worst flu outbreak in 13 years thanks to an unusually early and aggressive outbreak, data shows. There have already been nearly 900,000 cases, 7,000 hospitalizations and 360 deaths, with experts warning restrictions during the Covid pandemic have left Americans with weaker immunity against flu.
Pregnancy is the term used to describe when a fetus is developing inside a woman’s uterus. Trans men who were born female can sometimes get pregnant if they chose to keep their womb and reproductive organs. Being pregnant can weaken the immune system, leaving women more likely to be admitted to hospital if they catch the flu.
The infection has also been linked to premature births and defects, making a flu vaccine essential for expectant mothers. Pregnant women are seven times more likely to be hospitalized if they catch the flu, according to a 2019 study.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says pregnant women are also more at an ‘increased’ risk of death if they catch the flu. Hormone changes during pregnancy lower the activity of the thymus — a small gland in the chest responsible for making T-cells — during the first trimester, raising the risk of infection.
The CDC page used to include 56 mentions of gender-neutral terms. The introductory paragraph used to say the flu is ‘more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than women of reproductive age who are not pregnant. (SOURCE)
