Infants with influenza are at increased risk for adverse outcomes, particularly in the first six months when they are unable to mount a sufficient response to influenza immunization. Few large-scale studies have evaluated the impact of maternal immunization during pregnancy on subsequent infant influenza outcomes. To address this gap, Julie Shakib, DO, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of 245,386 pregnant women and their infants over nine influenza seasons. They found that infants born to women reporting influenza immunization during pregnancy had risk reductions of 70% for influenza infection and 81% for influenza hospitalization in the first six months. The research group is now developing methods to investigate the optimal timing of immunization during pregnancy. This collective body of work aids the development of more targeted influenza-immunization strategies that better protect new mothers and their infants.
References:
Influenza in infants born to women vaccinated during pregnancy. Shakib JH, Korgenski K, Presson AP, Sheng X, Varner MW, Pavia AT, Byington CL. Pediatrics. 2016 Jun;137(6): e20152360.
Press Releases and Media:
University of Utah Health: “Infants Much Less Likely To Get The Flu If Moms Are Vaccinated While Pregnant”
U of U Health Key Faculty Collaborators
Andrew T. Pavia, MD
Michael W. Varner, MD
Angela P. Presson, PhD
Carrie L. Byington, MD
Xiaoxi Liu, PhD
