This leaflet for patients describes how having the flu vaccination during pregnancy can help protect them and their baby against this infection. This is because flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant.
In addition to hospitalization pregnant women with influenza are at increased risk of intensive care unit admission and adverse.
Pregnancy and flu vaccination. Is the flu vaccine safe in pregnancy. Studies have shown that its safe to have the flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies which lasts for the first few months of their lives.
Influenza vaccination of women during pregnancy Committee reports. 14 July 2006 - Safety of pandemic influenza vaccines from meeting of 6-7 June 2006 16 January 2004 - Influenza vaccination of women during pregnancy from meeting 3-4 December 2003 Related links. WHO position paper on influenza vaccines - WER 19 August 2005 pdf 214kb.
To date scant evidence exists that influenza vaccination during pregnancy can cause harm. Although proving no harm is virtually impossible in any health context vaccine studies consistently show no increase in short term adverse outcomes of pregnancy or fetal loss with vaccination during pregnancy. Benefits of vaccination in pregnancy Pregnant women are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from influenza compared with non-pregnant women and are recognised as a priority group for influenza vaccination.
Babies born to mothers who contract influenza during pregnancy are at higher risk of preterm birth and low birth weight. While it is recommended that all pregnant women should be vaccinated as early as possible in pregnancy the best time to have the flu vaccine is in April or May to ensure your protection doesnt wane before the flu season peaks. Flu shots are safe for pregnant women and their babies.
The influenza vaccine recommended for pregnant women contains proteins from 4 different types of influenza viruses representing the strains most likely to circulate each winter. Inactivated influenza vaccines cannot give you influenza illness because they do not contain live virus. Seasonal flu is potentially more severe during pregnancy especially when it occurs in the last three months.
Pregnant women were shown to be especially exposed to severe forms of the flu and death in the first weeks of the pandemic influenza AH1N1v. This leaflet for patients describes how having the flu vaccination during pregnancy can help protect them and their baby against this infection. Printed copies can be ordered via the Department of.
Getting the flu vaccine is safe during any stage of pregnancy from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. The vaccine doesnt carry risks for either you or your baby. Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies which lasts for the first 6 months of their lives.
Influenza vaccination is an essential element of prepregnancy prenatal and postpartum care because influenza can result in serious illness including a higher chance of progressing to pneumonia when it occurs during the antepartum or postpartum period. In addition to hospitalization pregnant women with influenza are at increased risk of intensive care unit admission and adverse. We are keen to reassure pregnant women that flu vaccination is safe for women to have at any stage in pregnancy - from the first few weeks right up to their due date and while breastfeeding.
Over the last 10 years the flu vaccine has been routinely and safely offered to pregnant women in the UK. Vaccinations in pregnancy Some vaccines such as the inactivated seasonal flu vaccine and the whooping cough vaccine are recommended during pregnancy to protect the health of you and your baby. An inactivated vaccine does not contain a live version of the virus it is protecting against.
The influenza vaccine is recommended during every pregnancy and at any stage of your pregnancy. Further information on why pregnant women should receive the influenza vaccine is available in the Protecting your baby against influenza starts when youre pregnant brochure. Receiving influenza vaccination is the most important and effective means of preventing the infection and its related complications.
During pregnancy physiological changes increase susceptibility to influenza infection and women contracting infectious diseases during pregnancy are more likely to have adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. The vaccine can be given any time during pregnancy but experts recommend getting the vaccine as early as possible in the third trimester between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. The whooping cough vaccine is also recommended for other adults who spend time with your baby.
Learn more about the whooping cough vaccine and pregnancy. Getting flu in pregnancy can also so lead to premature birth and smaller babies. Flu vaccination during pregnancy provides immunity against influenza infection to babies in the first 6 months of life.
More information about flu vaccine during pregnancy Whooping Cough Vaccine. Women should get whooping cough vaccine during each pregnancy. Vaccination against influenza flu during pregnancy is recommended for all women especially during flu season November to April.
This is because flu is more likely to cause severe illness in pregnant women than in women who are not pregnant. Studies have shown that the flu vaccination is safe for women to have at any stage in pregnancy from the first few weeks right up to the due date and while breastfeeding she explains. The flu jab is widely available free and safe for pregnant women.