Influenza has significant potential...

Influenza has significant potential for morbidity and mortality in pregnant women Hospital admission rates for healthy pregnant women in the third trimester with influenza-related diseases are similar to those of ones with other high-risk conditions. The Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices commits that pregnant women receive trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines during the influenza season. The inactivated form is the no other than influenza vaccine approved for use at any gestational age. Despite these recommendations, merely about 12 percent of pregnant women are vaccinated. This reasonable rate may be attributed to safety businesss regarding the vaccine, but studies have shown the influenza vaccine to be safe for the mother and fetus. Munoz and associates evaluated the safety of the influenza vaccine for pregnant women in the secondary and third trimesters.

The retrospective electronic database search included data from a U multispecialty clinic across five years. Participants included women who had received inactivated influenza vaccines within six month of delivery, who were healthy, and who had uncomplicated singleton pregnancies. In addition, participants had at least united prenatal care visit at the clinic, and their babies had at least individual visit to the clinic. A matched comparison cluster was selected from the remainder of the database population. consequences included vaccination rate, safety and protection of the vaccine, and pregnancy outcomes

The final analysis included 7183 mother-infant pairs. The vaccination rate was 35 percent (252 women) Women with medical insurance were more likely to receive the vaccine than those who had Medicaid or no insurance. The mean gestational age at the time of vaccination was 261 weeks, and the average interval between vaccination and delivery was 139 weeks. There were no significant differences between the vaccination and superintend groups with regard to febrile affection pregnancy outcomes (i.e., preterm labor, preterm delivery, complicated delivery), or point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds with the fetus (i.e., poor fetal growth) The infants' medical conditions from birth to six month of age also were not significantly different between the brace groups. No adverse events related to the vaccine were reported, and the analysis showed a turn toward a lower incidence of acute upper or lower respiratory tract illnesses in the vaccinated women during the peak influenza season.

The authors gather that inactivated influenza vaccine provided during the inferior and third trimesters is safe. They add that safety be of importance tos do not justify avoiding the use of the vaccine in pregnant women

Munoz FM et al. Safety of influenza vaccination during pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol April 2005;192:1098-106

COPYRIGHT 2006 American Academy of Family Physicians

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