5 reasons why having a flu vaccine during pregnancy is so important…

Catherine from Light for Riley has shared an important post outlining why women should have a flu vaccine during pregnancy

1. TO HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF STILLBIRTH
Studies show that a flu vaccine during pregnancy reduces the risk of stillbirth by up to 51%

2. TO PROTECT YOUR NEWBORN BABY
Babies under 6 months of age are more likely to be hospitalised or die from influenza than older children. Babies are less likely to be hospitalised if their Mums are immunised against flu during pregnancy.

3. TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Influenza can be life threatening for pregnant women. They are 5 x more likely to be admitted to an ICU with influenza than women who are not pregnant.

4. TO PREVENT PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS
If you contract the flu while pregnant, this can lead to other complications such as premature labour & delivery.

5. BECAUSE BABIES ARE VULNERABLE
Babies under 6 months can’t have their own flu shot, so pregnancy vaccine is the best way to provide them antibodies to fight the virus if they are exposed to it.

Many Mums don’t know this vital information – please help share it with any pregnant women you know, to help protect them and their baby.

Concerns over anti-vax campaign

The Courier Mail report that an ANTI-vax scare campaign is targeting pregnant women by pushing claims that the Federal Government’s free flu vaccine has not yet been proven safe.

The campaign has been slammed by Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon, who said influzena was one of the top reasons pregnant women wound up in hospital intensive care units.

An anti-vax message circulating online suggests that the vaccine FluQuadri is still in trial stages and has not been tested for use in pregnancy.

“I am very concerned that this information is being fed to women who are having babies, as the AMA would like to see a dramatic increase from last year’s uptake to an 88 per cent uptake this year,” Dr Gannon said.

“I can only hope that women listen to their health providers rather than disingenuous claims online. The flu vaccine saves lives.”

According to a major study by the WA Health Department in 2016, a simple seasonal flu vaccine could halve the number of stillborns. Read more here.

Read more – Mum woke from a coma to learn she missed the birth of her baby

More info here on flu vaccine during pregnancy.

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