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Influenza vaccination among West Virginia pregnant and
postpartum women 2009-2010.
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| Article Type: | Report |
| Subject: |
Influenza
(Prevention) Influenza vaccines (Usage) Influenza vaccines (Health aspects) Pregnant women (Drug therapy) |
| Pub Date: | 03/01/2012 |
| Publication: | Name: West Virginia Medical Journal Publisher: West Virginia State Medical Association Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 West Virginia State Medical Association ISSN: 0043-3284 |
| Issue: | Date: March-April, 2012 Source Volume: 108 Source Issue: 2 |
| Topic: | Temporal Scope: 2009 AD Event Code: 350 Product standards, safety, & recalls |
| Organization: | Government Agency: United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: West Virginia Geographic Code: 1U5WV West Virginia |
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| Accession Number: | 283262292 |
| Full Text: |
Studies have shown that pregnancy increases the risk of seasonal
influenza complications in the mother. Moreover, infants born to
vaccinated women have reduced rates of laboratory-confirmed influenza
during the first 6 months of life. (1) Vaccination of pregnant women is
key to protecting babies from complications of influenza. It should be
noted that the nasal-spray influenza vaccine is not an option for women
who are pregnant. West Virginia conducts research pertaining to maternal and child health through the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). PRAMS is a joint research project between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The project, implemented in 1988, is as an on-going, population-based surveillance system designed to identify maternal attitudes and experiences before, during and after pregnancy. All West Virginia women who have recently had a live birth have a one in fourteen chance of being chosen to participate 2-4 months after their baby's birth. Each month, approximately 200 women are randomly selected from the West Virginia Birth Certificate Registry and asked to participate in the PRAMS survey. In 2009, WV PRAMS began collecting information on influenza vaccination among pregnant and postpartum women. The data presented covers births from August 2009 thru August 2010; a total of 19,250 eligible births with 2,506 women sampled and a response from 1,659 women. Data are weighted to reflect the entire population of women delivering a live infant in WV during this time period. Surveyed women were asked if they received an influenza vaccination during this time period. Results show that 47 percent of women did not receive a vaccination, while 12 percent received an H1N1 vaccination, 17 percent received a seasonal influenza vaccination and 24 percent of women received both the H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccination. WV PRAMS data demonstrate that healthcare providers play a critical role in the acceptance of influenza vaccine. Pregnant and postpartum women who were either recommended or offered influenza vaccine by their healthcare providers were 5 times more likely to be vaccinated than women who were not recommended or offered the vaccine. West Virginia's PRAMS asked surveyed women who did not receive the influenza vaccination reasons for not doing so. Most women reported that they normally do not get a flu shot. Over a third of women reported concerns about side effects for their infants or themselves. Women had the option to select more than one reason. Recommended Actions for Prenatal Care Providers * There are many things that can be done to protect pregnant and postpartum women and infants from this vaccine-preventable disease. * Educate staff and pregnant women about the importance of influenza vaccination during pregnancy and its safety; provide a strong recommendation for vaccination * Issue standing orders for influenza vaccination of pregnant and postpartum women * Post influenza prevention announcements and provide brochures to prompt vaccination requests * Offer vaccination to pregnant women at the earliest opportunity and throughout flu season (October-April) * Vaccinate all healthcare personnel in practices to prevent healthcare personnel from influenza and from spreading influenza to patients * Vaccinate postpartum women who were not vaccinated during pregnancy, preferably before hospital discharge or at 6 week postpartum visit * Know where to refer patients if influenza vaccine is not available at the practice * Educate staff and postpartum women that breastfeeding is not a contraindication to vaccination * Advise family members and other close contacts of pregnant and postpartum women and infants that they should also be vaccinated against influenza For more information about vaccination, including other vaccines for pregnant and/ or postpartum women, visit: www.wvdhhr.org/mcfh or www.dhhr.wv.gov/oeps/ immunization/Pages/flu.aspx * WV PRAMS October 2011 Issue Brief (1) CDC. 'Prevention and control of influenza with vaccines; recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2010.' MMWR 2010; 59 (No. RR-8): 1-61. Melissa Baker, M.A. MCH Epidemiologist, Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health, Bureau for Public Health Julie Freshwater, PhD Flu Surveillance Coordinator, Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services, Bureau for Public Health Dee Bixler, M.D., M.P.H. Division of Infectious Disease Director, Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services, Bureau for Public Health |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2012 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |