Despite the long-standing recommendation for pregnant women to receive a flu shot, three-quarters of women responding to a national survey were unaware or unsure of these recommendations. Additionally, only 20 percent of women who are currently pregnant plan to get a flu shot this flu season.
The survey, conducted on behalf of the National Women's Health Resource Center, also revealed that some women even question whether the flu shot itself can pose a health risk to the baby.
For women who are pregnant or planning to conceive during the flu season, experts say it is vitally important that they get a flu vaccination to protect both their health and the health of their baby. Because the flu vaccine is not recommended for infants under 6 months old, it is doubly important that mothers get immunized to help protect the baby against potentially life-threatening complications.
A study published in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that mothers immunized against the flu reduced the chance of their baby contracting a respiratory illness with fever by 29 percent. Pregnant women are more likely to be hospitalized from complications of influenza, especially in their third trimester compared with non-pregnant women of the same age. Infants under 6 months have the highest rate of hospitalization from influenza amongst children in the U.S.
"Influenza is a serious health risk for everyone, but it is even more serious for groups, such as pregnant women, because they do not have the same ability to fight off the virus that could potentially cause complications in the pregnancy," says Dr. Ashley Roman, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Obstectrics and Gynecology, New York University Langone Medical Center. "As a practicing obstetrician, I always urge my patients to obtain their flu shot to protect themselves and their baby, and to explore thimerosal-free options if they are concerned about vaccine preservatives."