Received 4 September 2009; received in revised form 25 September 2009; accepted 29 September 2009. published online 22 October 2009.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends routine influenza vaccination for all women who are or will be pregnant during the influenza season. During seasonal influenza epidemics, during previous pandemics, and with the current influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, pregnancy places otherwise healthy women at increased risk for serious complications from influenza, including death. Inactivated influenza vaccine can be safely and effectively administered during any trimester of pregnancy. No study to date has demonstrated an increased risk of either maternal complications or adverse fetal outcomes associated with inactivated influenza vaccination. Moreover, no scientific evidence exists that thimerosal-containing vaccines are a cause of adverse events among children born to women who received influenza vaccine during pregnancy. In this article, we review the evidentiary basis for the recommendation of vaccination of all women who will be pregnant during the influenza season and safety data of influenza vaccination during pregnancy.
aDivision of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
bInstitute for Vaccine Safety, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
cDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
dEmory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
eHubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
fDivision of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
gGlobal Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Reprints: Pranita D. Tamma, MD, Department of Pediatrics Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 200 N. Wolfe St., Room 3095, Baltimore, MD 21287
Dr Omer was awarded the Maurice R. Hilleman Early-stage Career Investigator Award by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, funded by an unrestricted educational Grant to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases from Merck and Co., Inc. However, Dr Omer had no direct interaction with Merck and Co., Inc. related to this award.