ATLANTA, May 11 (UPI) -- U.S. public health agency scientists, concerned over the deaths of five women, planned to discuss the safety of using RU-486.
The scientists, meeting in Atlanta, are worried about a bacterial infection that led to the deaths of the women, reports The New York Times.
They want to find out if the means of administering so-called abortion drugs make pregnant women more susceptible to the bacterium Clostridium sordellii, the report said.
Clostridium sordellii infections are rare but pregnancy appears to increase the risks, Dr. David E. Soper at the Medical University of South Carolina, told the newspaper.
The Times report said some experts believe taking RU-486 with another drug make the pregnant women more vulnerable to infection. Others say the vaginal insertion may introduce bacteria along with the drug.
