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19 Sep 2008
Newborn babies can be protected from influenza if their mothers are vaccinated while they are pregnant, news research led by staff at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the USA suggests.
Due to be published in the October 9th issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the study observed a reduction of nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) on proven influenza illness among infants born to vaccinated mums.
In addition, the number of serious respiratory illnesses to both mothers and infants dropped by 36 per cent.
Dr Mark Steinhoff, senior author of the study, comments: "Even though there is no flu vaccine for these children, our study shows that a newborn's risk of infection can be greatly reduced by vaccinating mum during pregnancy."
"It's a two for one benefit."
He concludes by stating pregnant women should be encouraged to get a flu vaccination to protect both themselves and their infant.
Click here to visit the Flu Quick Guide
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