Study: Flu shot reduces flu hospitalization risk for pregnant women by 40 percent

Over the last six flu seasons, getting a flu shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized from flu by an average of 40 percent, according to a study co-authored by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention and published this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. This is the first study to show vaccination protected pregnant women against flu-associated hospitalization; previous studies have shown that a flu shot can reduce a pregnant woman’s risk of flu illness. “Expecting mothers face a number of threats to their health and the health of their baby during pregnancy, and getting the flu is one of them,” said Allison Naleway, a study co-author from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. “This study’s findings underscore the fact that there is a simple, yet impactful way to reduce the possibility of complications from flu during pregnancy: get a flu shot.” CDC recommends pregnant women get a flu shot because they are at high risk of developing serious flu illness, including illness resulting in hospitalization.