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- Siri E Håberg, specialist director1,
- Allen J Wilcox, scientist emeritus1 2
- 1Center for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- 2Department of Epidemiology, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC 27709, USA
- Correspondence to S E Håberg SiriEldevik.Haberg {at} fhi.no
Vaccination of pregnant women saves lives
An article published in The bmj this week (doi: 10.1136 / bmj.l4151) provides new data on the long-term safety of the influenza vaccine in children exposed to the vaccine in utero.1 The study by Walsh and his colleagues adds rebaduring results to a complex problem. According to public recommendations in most countries, the official policy in England is that all pregnant women should be vaccinated against the flu,2 but even half of pregnant women in England have been vaccinated during the 2017-2018 influenza season.3 Coverage is similar or lower in Europe and the United States.45 Why is it?
The benefits of vaccination for pregnant women and their newborns are well documented.678 Influenza has rare but dangerous after-effects, and pregnant women are several times more vulnerable than others to these sequelae.4 Evidence indicates that the risk of stillbirth is also increased with infection.9 Vaccinating pregnant women against influenza reduces the risk of infection and the complications they feared. …
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