New study shows pregnant women are safe to get the flu shot
By: Nikki Henderson
Updated: January 17, 2013
If you're pregnant, it's safe for you to get vaccinated against the flu.
A study released Wednesday reassures expectant mothers that it is indeed healthy for them and their unborn babies to get influenza vaccinations.
Researchers found no evidence that the vaccine increases the risk of losing a fetus, and may prevent some deaths.
The research focused on more than 113,000 pregnancies. Of those, 492 ended in the death of the fetus. The researchers calculated that the risk of fetal death was nearly twice as high for women who weren't vaccinated as it was in vaccinated mothers.
The study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and tracked pregnancies in Norway in 2009 and 2010 during an international epidemic of a new swine flu strain.
Dr. Denise Jamieson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, "Because some drugs and vaccines can be harmful to a fetus, there is a long-standing concern about giving any medicine to a pregnant woman but this study should ease any worries about the flu shot."
Health experts say this study is perhaps the largest
look at the safety and value of flu vaccination during pregnancy.
Courtesy: MSNBC
