Flu Shot Urged for Pregnant Women

(October 19, 2008) - Pregnant women are being urged, by a national women's doctors group, to get a flu shot. (Read about "Influenza") The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says all women, including those who are pregnant, should get an annual vaccination for influenza (flu) season, which runs from October through mid-May in the US.

According to ACOG, flu vaccination should be a routine part of prenatal care (Read about "Healthy Pregnancy"), and the ideal time to vaccinate pregnant women is October and November.

Roughly one-fifth of the US population is infected with the flu virus each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pregnant women have higher rates of illness and death from the flu than other groups. The CDC estimates that each year 200,000 people with the flu require hospitalization, and approximately 36,000 die from flu-related illness. In 2005, flu/pneumonia was the eighth leading cause of death overall in the US.

The flu vaccination (injection) is both safe and effective for pregnant women and offers some immunity to their infants as well, according to ACOG. Some pregnant women may be concerned about the safety of the flu vaccine because some contain thimerosal, a mercury-containing antibacterial compound. ACOG says it supports the recommendations and findings of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which found that there is no evidence showing that thimerosal is a danger to the health of the pregnant woman or her fetus. Thimerosal-free flu vaccines are available, but they tend to be more expensive.

The nasal-spray vaccine is not approved for pregnant women.