vaccine

Flu Vaccine May Help Protect Mother and Infant

Not only does the influenza vaccine protect women against influenza, but the vaccine may also protect their infants, according to a new review.

To conduct their study, the researchers surveyed mothers of 3441 infants born before the 2013-2014 influenza season at participating hospitals.

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At baseline, the mothers completed a questionnaire about their vaccination status for the 2013-2014 influenza season. The researchers administered a follow-up survey after the 2013-2014 influenza season to assess influenza diagnosis and hospitalization rates among the mothers’ infants.

The results showed that 71 infants had been diagnosed with influenza, and 13 were hospitalized due to influenza.

Overall, influenza vaccination among mothers had decreased the odds of influenza among their infants. Among mothers who were vaccinated prenatally, the vaccine effectiveness was 61%. Among those who were vaccinated postpartum, the vaccine effectiveness was 53%.

“The present findings indicated that pregnant women and postpartum women should receive influenza vaccination to protect their infants,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Ohfuji S, Deguchi M, Tachibana D, et al. Protective effect of maternal influenza vaccination on influenza in their infants: a prospective cohort study. 2018;217(6):878-886. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jix629.