65% of Mothers-to-be in the U.S. Have Not Received Influenza and Tdap Vaccination
CDC Recommends Healthcare Providers Speak with Moms-to-be About Benefits of Safe Vaccination
December 5, 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Vital Signs press release, “Low rates of vaccination during pregnancy leave moms, babies unprotected,” presents the latest findings on rates of influenza and Tdap (whooping cough) vaccination among pregnant women. 65% of mothers-to-be in the U.S. have not received these two safe and effective vaccines recommended during pregnancy to protect their infants and themselves, according to a new Vital Signs report released by CDC.
Pregnant women have more than double the risk of hospitalization compared to nonpregnant women of childbearing age if they get influenza. Since 2010, among women ages 15 to 44 years who were hospitalized for influenza, 24% to 34% of them were pregnant – even though only approximately 9% of U.S. women in this age group are pregnant at any given time each year.
CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D. says, “CDC strongly recommends that health care providers speak with moms-to-be about the benefits of safe Tdap and flu vaccination for their health and the well-being of their babies.”
Read more from CDC on vaccinating pregnant women.
More resources
CDC: Vaccinating Pregnant Women
PAs Tout Benefits of Vaccines Despite Persistent ‘Anti-Vaxxers’
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