Infants are less likely to have flu or whooping cough when their mothers are vaccinated to prevent the disease during pregnancy, according to a new study.
Health officials in many countries recommend vaccination against flu and whooping cough during pregnancy to help protect newborns, but research to date has not provided a clear picture of the risk of vaccination in children in the long term.
It facilitates transmission of flu and whooping cough. When babies are infected with them, they usually need to be hospitalized for serious complications such as pneumonia.In the new study, the researchers looked at 41,334 infants born between 2004 and 2014, including 25,222 hospitalized and 157 who died in their first six months.
The researchers found no link between hospitalized infants and deaths and their mothers' vaccination against flu and whooping cough during pregnancy.
"We conducted this study because pregnant women are particularly concerned about the potential negative impact of pregnancy on their children," said Lakshmi Sukumaran, a senior researcher at the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"We wanted to be reassured that these recommended vaccinations for all pregnant women pose no risk to infants," Sukumaran said in an e-mail.
The researchers said in the journal Pediatrics that the flu and pertussis are more severe and may cause death to newborns who do not allow their age to vaccinate.
Of the children admitted to hospitals, 4,644, or 18 percent, had respiratory problems, two percent had flu and three percent had pertussis.
The study found that mothers of children admitted to hospital due to respiratory problems were more likely to be vaccinated against pertussis during pregnancy than 21 percent who were not hospitalized.
There were 14 deaths, accounting for nine percent, due to respiratory problems, but no deaths due to flu or pertussis.
The most common cause of death was sudden infant death syndrome or health problems in children during pregnancy or in the first week of life or for unknown reasons.
"It is reassuring that researchers have found no reason to believe that vaccination during pregnancy causes significant harm to infants during the first six months of their lives," said Annette Reagan, a public health researcher at the University of Curtin in Bentley, Australia, who did not participate in the study.
Health officials in many countries recommend vaccination against flu and whooping cough during pregnancy to help protect newborns, but research to date has not provided a clear picture of the risk of vaccination in children in the long term.
It facilitates transmission of flu and whooping cough. When babies are infected with them, they usually need to be hospitalized for serious complications such as pneumonia.In the new study, the researchers looked at 41,334 infants born between 2004 and 2014, including 25,222 hospitalized and 157 who died in their first six months.
The researchers found no link between hospitalized infants and deaths and their mothers' vaccination against flu and whooping cough during pregnancy.
"We conducted this study because pregnant women are particularly concerned about the potential negative impact of pregnancy on their children," said Lakshmi Sukumaran, a senior researcher at the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"We wanted to be reassured that these recommended vaccinations for all pregnant women pose no risk to infants," Sukumaran said in an e-mail.
The researchers said in the journal Pediatrics that the flu and pertussis are more severe and may cause death to newborns who do not allow their age to vaccinate.
Of the children admitted to hospitals, 4,644, or 18 percent, had respiratory problems, two percent had flu and three percent had pertussis.
The study found that mothers of children admitted to hospital due to respiratory problems were more likely to be vaccinated against pertussis during pregnancy than 21 percent who were not hospitalized.
There were 14 deaths, accounting for nine percent, due to respiratory problems, but no deaths due to flu or pertussis.
The most common cause of death was sudden infant death syndrome or health problems in children during pregnancy or in the first week of life or for unknown reasons.
"It is reassuring that researchers have found no reason to believe that vaccination during pregnancy causes significant harm to infants during the first six months of their lives," said Annette Reagan, a public health researcher at the University of Curtin in Bentley, Australia, who did not participate in the study.
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