Pregnant Women

At Risk Group: Pregnancy

  •  All stages of pregnancy1.

Risk
During pregnancy, your body's immune system is naturally slightly suppressed, which increases your risk of becoming very ill if you catch flu. Flu and its complications have been shown to increase the risk of premature birth and miscarriage.2,3

 

 

Nurse Jenny Greenfield, Flu Lead/Lead Nurse Cervical Screening Improvement, Public Health Directorate, discusses why it's a good idea to be vaccinated against flu if you are pregnant.

 
Pregnancy - Slides

You can download the slides from the presentation here:

 

References

x

1. Department of Health. Immunisation against infectious disease (Green Book) May 2011.

2. Whitley R, Monto A. Prevention and Treatment of Influenza in High Risk Groups: Children, Pregnant Women, Immunocompromised Host, and Nursing Home Residents. JID 2006:194 (Suppl 2) S133-S138.

3. Health Protection Agency, Frequently Asked Questions. http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/SeasonalInfluenza/InformationForThePublic/influsw15vaccinationsandpregnancyFAQ/. Accessed June 2011.

For More Information...

Patient Leaflets can be downloaded here: