Influenza Vaccines Taken During Pregnancy Protects Infants

Influenza vaccines administered during pregnancy offers protection to infants against flu.This is all the more important as children below the age of six months face a high risk of hospitalization due to flu.

The vaccine if administered to babies may not be as effective, the research revealed.

According to a recent study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and colleagues, there was a 50% reduction in hospitalizations due to flu among babies born to mothers who received the flu vaccine while they were pregnant, as compared to women who did not take the vaccine.

"We know that mothers pass antibodies through the placenta to the baby. This study showed us that receiving the influenza vaccine during pregnancy not only protects the mother, but also protects the baby in the early months of life," researchers said.



Source: Medindia