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

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.

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