ATLANTA, Sep 10, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- There is a need to educate pregnant
women and their healthcare providers for the need of a seasonal influenza
vaccine, U.S. health officials said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly
Report released Thursday said pregnant women are at increased risk for
complications from influenza.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Obstetric Practice recommend that
pregnant women receive intramuscular, inactivated influenza vaccine during any
trimester of pregnancy, the report said.
Researchers at the CDC analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and
Monitoring System to assess influenza vaccination coverage among women from
Georgia and Rhode Island with recent live-births. In Georgia, vaccine coverage
prevalence increased from 10.4 percent in 2004 to 15.5 percent in 2006. In Rhode
Island, coverage increased from 21.9 percent in 2004 to 33.4 percent in 2007.
The report said pregnant women who received advice from their doctor to get the
seasonal flu shot were more likely to report being vaccinated.
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