Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chairman Tsai Hong-te said yesterday women in the first three months of pregnancy should not receive the swine flu vaccine. Women more than three months pregnant should take the advice of their doctor when deciding whether to get vaccinated, Tsai said.

Tsai, who held a press conference at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), complained that his previous comments on the vaccine had been misreported by the media. He was referring to a report in the latest edition of Next Magazine quoting him saying that pregnant women should not take the vaccine and that the CDC should reconsider its vaccination program, especially for pregnant women, noting that the vaccine could have a negative effect on pregnant women and their babies.

 Tsai told the press conference that vaccines always have side effects, no matter what kind of vaccine they are, but these side effects were usually minor and would do no harm. Pregnant women, however, need to be more careful than other people because the side effects may not harm adults, but they could have a negative effect on the brain of the fetus, especially in the first three months of pregnancy.