Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Flu vaccination in pregnant women reduces risk of hospitalization

Melvin Sanicas, MD
Conditions
October 20, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

Influenza is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in the United States. Influenza also tops the list of the burden of disease and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) according to a Eurosurveillance article.

The flu is more likely to cause severe illness and harm pregnant women as compared to women who are not pregnant. Changes in the immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy make pregnant women (including women up to two weeks following childbirth) more susceptible to severe illness from flu, including illness that directly results in hospitalization. Pregnant women with influenza also have a higher risk of serious problems developing with their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery. The strategy of vaccinating women during pregnancy is a research-backed strategy for protecting newborns who are too young to be vaccinated.

A new study found that flu vaccination during pregnancy can reduce a woman’s chance of severe illness — enough to require hospitalization — by 40%. The findings come from a multi-country study supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Studies conducted in the past have shown that a flu vaccine can reduce a pregnant woman’s risk of flu illness, but this is the first study to demonstrate that flu vaccination protected pregnant women against hospitalization due to influenza.

In this study, which analyzed data from over 2 million pregnant women, the US CDC collaborated with several other public health agencies and health care systems in Australia, Canada (Alberta and Ontario), Israel, and the United States (California, Oregon, and Washington) through the Pregnancy Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network (PREVENT), a global consortium with integrated laboratory, medical, and vaccination records. Sites examined medical records of women pregnant from 2010 through 2016 to identify those who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed flu.

Overall, 13% of women who tested positive for flu were vaccinated, compared with 22% of those who tested negative—highlighting overall vaccine effectiveness of 40% (95% confidence interval, 12% to 59%). Their findings were consistent through early, peak, and late parts of flu seasons and were similar for women with and without other high-risk medical conditions.

“A lot of women are really scared to get anything during their pregnancy, so they’re afraid to get vaccines,” said co-author Jeffrey Kwong, MD MSc from Public Health Ontario. “But women who are pregnant are more likely to be hospitalized if they get influenza.” Allison Naleway, PhD, study co-author from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, said: “This study’s findings underscore the fact that there is a simple, yet impactful way to reduce the possibility of complications from flu during pregnancy: Get a flu shot.” Mark Thompson, PhD, study co-author and epidemiologist in the CDC’s influenza division, said: “Our study found that flu vaccination worked equally well for women in any trimester and even reduced the risk of being sick with influenza during delivery.”

In a commentary by Flor Munoz, MD on the same issue, she noted that pregnant women and young babies are among the most vulnerable groups in flu epidemics and pandemics. However, that uptake is low, and most low- and middle-income countries do not offer the vaccine to pregnant women. This new study fills a critical information gap and could help expand the use of the vaccine in higher-income countries, given that flu vaccine uptake in pregnant women is well below both national and international goals. This could also help low- and middle-income countries justify the cost of the vaccine.

Previous studies into the effectiveness of flu vaccines for pregnant women showed that the protection for moms-to-be and their babies is substantial and lasts for months. The benefits of vaccinating women against flu during pregnancy extend beyond influenza to protecting young infants against acute respiratory infections from bacterial causes. In a previous study in South Africa reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases, flu vaccination of pregnant women was shown to benefit their babies during their first six months of life. The all-cause acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) hospitalization incidence was lower in the babies of moms who had received the flu vaccine.

Melvin Sanicas is an infectious disease physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Thorough documentation can be weak representation of patients

October 20, 2018 Kevin 1
…
Next

Teleneurology works. Here's why.

October 21, 2018 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Infectious Disease, OB/GYN

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Thorough documentation can be weak representation of patients
Next Post >
Teleneurology works. Here's why.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Melvin Sanicas, MD

  • COVID-19 is still a global health issue but we can responsibly live with it

    Melvin Sanicas, MD
  • Breastfeeding is best, but why do some countries struggle?

    Melvin Sanicas, MD
  • Measles outbreaks: Getting to the root of the problem

    Melvin Sanicas, MD

Related Posts

  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • How to increase your HPV vaccination rates

    Elizabeth Copeland, MD
  • Social media: The ultimate tool for women in medicine

    Meridith J. Englander, MD
  • Protect the women who protect us

    Kellie Lease Stecher, MD
  • Protecting Black women’s maternal health is urgent

    Cessilye R. Smith
  • Please stop giving awards specifically to women in the workplace

    Suzi Richards

More in Conditions

  • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

    Steven J. Katz, DDS
  • What the research really says about infrared saunas

    Khushali Jhaveri, MD
  • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

    Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD
  • Dedicated hypermobility clinics can transform patient care

    Katharina Schwan, MPH
  • It’s time for pain protocols to catch up with the opioid crisis

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Earwax could hold secrets to cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease

    Sandra Vamos, EdD and Domenic Alaimo
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How to survive a broken health care system without losing yourself [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • What the research really says about infrared saunas

      Khushali Jhaveri, MD | Conditions
    • How the cycle of rage is affecting physicians—and how to break free

      Alexandra M.P. Brito, MD and Jennifer L. Hartwell, MD | Conditions
    • Why ADHD in adults is often missed—and why it matters [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Flu vaccination in pregnant women reduces risk of hospitalization
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...