 News
25th October 2006
Pregnant women should receive flu jab
Government experts have advised that pregnant women should be vaccinated
against the flu.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
will make the recommendations to ministers and if agreed, the vaccine
will be offered to women in the second and third trimesters during the
flu season.
The JCVI said the vaccine would benefit both baby and mothers
who are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from seasonal
influenza, especially in the later stages of pregnancy.
It is estimated that flu kills several thousand people each
year in the UK.
Professor John Oxford, a virologist at Queen Mary College
School of Medicine, London, said, "It's a big initiative. We know women
in pregnancy are more vulnerable and are at extra risk from flu.
"We're not the first country to do it. The JCVI is trying
to protect women during pregnancy and help protect the baby."
Studies carried out earlier this year into the safety of
the vaccine showed a risk of side-effects but these have been shown to
be very slight in the USA where pregnant women are already routinely given
the flu jab.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said no final
decision would be made until ministers had considered the recommendations
but already there are concerns as there have been shortages ofthe vaccine
for the last 3 years.
However, in a seperate study, researchers at the University
of California found a possible link between flu and pneumonia during pregnancy
and an increased risk of leukaemia in the unborn baby.
They added that further research would be needed as the
study was very small.
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