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It is never pleasant to get the flu, but the disease can be particularly serious for pregnant women. Indeed, pregnant women are considered one of the "high risk" groups, more likely to develop complications related to influenza.
Despite this risk, in the last influenza season, only 49.1 (less than half) of pregnant women in the United States have been vaccinated against influenza, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .
"When [pregnant] The women come in and say, "Do I really need to be vaccinated against the flu," my answer is yes, "said Dr. Laura Riley, Professor of the Foundation Foundation and Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Weill Cornell Medicine, press conference on September 27th.
The reason is that pregnancy alters the immune system, Riley said. During a healthy pregnancy, "your immune system does not work exactly as we need it" to fight the virus. Thus, when pregnant women contract the flu, they become sicker than non-pregnant people. And as the pregnancy progresses to the second and third trimesters, the probabilities of a more serious illness and even death also increase. [Flu Shot Facts & Side Effects (Updated for 2018-2019)]
A modified immune system is not the only thing that makes pregnant women more vulnerable to the flu. Because the woman's lung volume decreases as the pregnancy progresses (and as the fetus grows and takes up more space), it becomes more difficult to eliminate respiratory infections, Riley said.
And catching the flu puts at risk not only the mother, but also the unborn child: if the mother has a prolonged fever due to the flu, this can lead to birth defects, said Riley. But another, more common problem is that women who contract the flu during pregnancy are more likely to have premature labor than pregnant women who do not contract the flu. It's a problem "that we see every year," said Riley, and problems related to premature births can become a "permanent problem" for some babies.
The flu shot, says Riley, leads to the creation of antibodies in the body that then cross the placenta to reach the fetus. These antibodies protect the baby from influenza during the first six months of life.
The CDC and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that every pregnant woman be vaccinated against influenza. They can do it any quarter, said Riley.
The immune system of women remains in this modified state for a few weeks after delivery, so it is recommended that postpartum women be vaccinated if they have not already done so, she adds.
Studies have shown that pregnant women vaccinated against the flu were 40% less likely to be hospitalized during their pregnancy than unvaccinated pregnant women, said Riley. "Pregnant women naturally want to protect their babies," she said, and the vaccine is "effective" and "safe".
Last year, the flu season was the worst for at least four decades, with about 80,000 deaths and 900,000 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.
Originally published on Live Science.
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