High fever and chills, achy muscles, cough and feeling fatigued. These are all symptoms of the flu. And flu season is upon us, lasting from November to March. If there was a way to prevent this miserable illness, wouldn’t you want to know? Well a vaccine is available and the good news is that it’s safe to give during pregnancy. Both mothers and their newborn babies benefit from this inactivated flu vaccine that is recommended for pregnant women, who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during flu season.
Pregnant women and young infants are at increased risk for the serious consequences of influenza infection. While inactivated influenza vaccine is recommended for pregnant women, it is not licensed for infants younger than six months of age. But guess what? Administration of this vaccine to mom results in protective antibodies that cross the placenta and protect her baby after birth. In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the infants of mothers receiving the vaccine during pregnancy had significantly less flu infections than those infants born to mothers that did not receive the vaccine. Vaccinated mothers also had fewer respiratory illnesses.
The vaccine is safe in pregnancy because it does not contain live flu virus. It cannot cause the flu nor give your baby the flu. It just prompts your body to produce protective antibodies making you immune to the infection.
So, if you’re pregnant and it’s flu season, ask your OB about receiving the flu vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and the American College of Obstetrians and Gynecologists recommend it.
by: David Soper, M.D.
Request an appointment with a MUSC provider.
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