PHA welcomes study of benefits of flu vaccine during pregnancy

The Public Health Agency welcomes today's study by US researchers stating babies are less likely to get flu if their mothers have had the vaccine during pregnancy.

Dr Lorraine Doherty, Assistant Director of Public Health for the PHA, said "This is really good news and re-emphasises the importance of getting the vaccine when pregnant. The vaccine is safe and these latest findings further supports the protective effects for both mother and baby. The flu vaccine has been regularly used in other countries, in fact, millions of pregnant women have received the seasonal flu vaccine in the USA where its safety has been carefully monitored."

The PHA publication, The Flu vaccine and pregnancy, explains why pregnant women should receive the new flu vaccine and outlines how it also protects the unborn child. It provides a range of information about the vaccine, which also protects against swine flu, including how to get vaccinated, how the vaccine works, how effective it is and possible side effects. This can be downloaded as a PDF at http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/flu-vaccine-and-pregnancy