otoh... The flu can be particularly severe for pregnant women, because the body reduces its normal level of immune system function during pregnancy, Cunningham said. For example, during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, pregnant women accounted for a disproportionate number of deaths. This years flu vaccine includes a strain of the H1N1 virus. Additionally, the rate of preterm birth among women infected with H1N1 was 30 percent; more than double the usual rate in the U.S. of 13 percent, according to the CDC. Other research has suggested the flu vaccine during pregnancy is linked with a lower risk of stillbirth. Vaccinated women may also lower their risk infecting their newborns, Cunningham said. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommend that children over 6 months old receive the flu shot. Unvaccinated children have a higher risk of dying from the flu than those are vaccinated, research has shown.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:52:57 +0000
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