AAFP Joins Other Organizations in Urging Pregnant Women to Be Immunized Against Flu

Pregnancy Raises Risks of Flu Complications, Say Groups

By News Staff
10/2/2009

Fewer than one-fourth of pregnant women in the United States were vaccinated against seasonal influenza during the 2007-08 flu season, according to the CDC. But with the double whammy of seasonal flu and the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus looming, the AAFP and seven other national organizations with an interest in maternal and infant health are attempting to raise awareness about the risks of influenza during pregnancy and the protection offered by immunizations.

AAFP is one of eight national organizations urging pregnant women to be vaccinated for seasonal influenza and the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. Pregnant women are at high risk for flu complications.

The AAFP, along with the March of Dimes; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American College of Nurse-Midwives; the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses; the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology; and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, issued a joint statement Sept. 23 urging pregnant women to be vaccinated against the seasonal flu now and to receive the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it becomes available.

"Our pregnant patients are often hesitant to receive immunizations," said Julie Wood, M.D., chair of the AAFP Commission on Health of the Public and Science. "It is very important for a woman's physician to be aware of the recommendations for all immunizations recommended (2-page PDF; About PDFs) during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. This year, as the H1N1 vaccine becomes available, it is even more important for the health care community to educate pregnant women to be immunized for both H1N1 and seasonal flu."

Evidence has shown that there are increased risks for pregnant women who become ill with H1N1 infection. Therefore, pregnant women are one of the high-risk groups the CDC and the AAFP have prioritized to receive the new vaccine.

Evidence also has shown that the recommendation of a physician can make a big difference in whether a woman is immunized during pregnancy. A study (30-page PowerPoint file; About Downloading) from the Rhode Island Department of Health found that 62.9 percent of pregnant women who were offered the flu shot or whose physicians recommended they get the shot did so during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 flu seasons.

Conversely, only 4.1 percent of pregnant women who were not offered vaccination or whose physicians did not recommend the vaccine were immunized during the same period.

The Rhode Island study also found that fewer than half of pregnant women were offered the vaccine or were recommended for vaccination by their doctors.

In addition to recommending that pregnant women get the flu vaccines, the organizations' joint statement advises them to

contact their physicians immediately if they have flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough or sore throat, so that flu medications can be started and further instructions can be given;
avoid people who are ill and contact their physicians if they come in close contact with someone who has flu-like symptoms;
protect themselves by washing their hands frequently and encouraging their family members to do the same; and
keep up-to-date about information related to H1N1 through their physicians or the CDC Web site.

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