Mother's Flu Shot Protects Newborn
A recent study shows that a prenatal flu shot can go a long way for an infant
For pregnant women, getting a flu shot might not be such a bad idea, both for her own benefit and for the benefit of her unborn child. Even though the flu shot is currently not licensed for infants younger than six months, a recent study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, indicates that babies whose mothers got the flu vaccination during pregnancy were less likely to contract the influenza virus.
In fact, in this study there was a 63 percent decrease in proven influenza illness among infants born to vaccinated mothers. In addition, the number of serious respiratory illnesses to both mothers and infants dropped by 36 percent.
These findings are particularly important because this age group is the most vulnerable to influenza. "Infants under six months have the highest rates of hospitalization from influenza among children in the U.S. These admission rates are higher than those for the elderly and other high-risk adult groups," says Mark Steinhoff, MD, the study's senior author and professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of International Health.
Despite these recent findings, and the fact that the flu shot has been recommended for pregnant women in the U.S. since 1997, only 15 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated each year.
The study, conducted in Bangladesh, observed 340 mothers and their infants as part of the Mother's Gift vaccine evaluation study.
With the findings, health officials will continue to urge expecting mothers to get the vaccination.
"Pregnant woman should be encouraged to be vaccinated for the flu to protect their infants and themselves," Steinhoff says.
If you think about it, it's two for the price of one.
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