Usefulness of Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy to Mothers and Young Infants

Authors and Disclosures

Michi Hisano^*1 and Koushi Yamaguchi<sup>1,2

1</sup>Department of Women's Health, National Center for Child Health and Development, 2-10-1 Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157–8535, Japan
²Japan Drug Information Institute in Pregnancy, Tokyo, Japan

Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or mater ials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

*Author for correspondence
hisano-m@ncchd.go.jp

Sidebar

Key Issues

• Pregnant women are at increased risk of severe complications from influenza infection, including the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.

• Immunization with inactivated influenza vaccine is the most effective method to prevent influenza infection and influenza-related complications in pregnant women.

• Maternal influenza vaccination might provide protection for not only the vaccinated women, but also the infants born to these mothers, via transplacental transfer of anti-influenza antibodies.

• Because inactivated influenza vaccine is not indicated for infants younger than 6 months of age, antenatal immunization might be a useful strategy.

• To protect young infants most effectively, women vaccinated in early pregnancy might need an additional vaccination during the antepartum period.