| Flu shot may prevent pre-term births Pregnant women who get a flu jab are less likely to give birth to premature or small babies during the peak flu season, suggests a US study. Researchers, led by Assistant Professor Saad Omer from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, made the finding after analysing 4326 births in the US state of Georgia between mid-2004 and mid-2006. According to the report in PLOS Medicine, the odds of a premature birth during the eight-week period of widespread influenza activity were around 70 per cent lower for vaccinated mothers compared to mothers who did not receive the influenza vaccine. They also found that vaccinated mothers were 69 per cent less likely of giving birth to a baby in the lowest percentile weight range during the peak flu season. "Our finding suggests that influenza vaccination may be a potential tool for reducing adverse birth outcomes, particularly prematurity," says Omer. "Seasonal and pandemic influenza infection has significant adverse consequences for pregnant women and their newborns." The researchers analysed data from the Georgia Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey, which contains information such as maternal influenza vaccination during any part of the pregnancy, maternal attitudes, and birth certificate details. They then compared the births of women who had been vaccinated to those who hadn't at different times of the influenza cycle to try to rule out confounding factors such as attitudes to vaccination, socioeconomic status and lifestyle. Premature births were lowest during the pre-influenza season, when the vaccine was available but the virus was not widely circulating, and highest during the peak flu season. No differences in birth weight between vaccinated and unvaccinated women were seen outside the flu season. "It is plausible that the impact of vaccines on birth outcomes would vary with the underlying influenza epidemiology and demographic characteristics," the researchers write. But they admit the observational study is limited by a lack of data about how many pregnant women actually had influenza infections, and the precise time the women recalled receiving their vaccination. "Studies in other populations, particularly randomised controlled trials, are needed to confirm our results," says Omer. | ||
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