HOW SAFE IS INFLUENZA VACCINE IN PREGNANCY? IS THERE A RISK FOR THE UNBORN CHILD?
While some have questioned the safety of seasonal influenza immunization of pregnant women for the unborn child, there is strong evidence that this vaccine is safe. The influenza vaccine is a killed vaccine and cannot replicate or cause influenza in the pregnant woman. There is no evidence of any associated teratogenic effects. In a review of American data for 2000 to 2003 (approximately two million pregnant women receiving influenza vaccine) by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System in the United States, no unexpected vaccine adverse events were detected (22). The miscarriage rates in early pregnancy were the same for immunized and nonimmunized women. Moreover, pooled data from 10 published studies of influenza vaccine in pregnancy (six cohorts, three retrospective trials and one randomized controlled trial; more than 10,000 women and more than 50,000 controls) do not suggest any added risk of influenza vaccine in pregnancy for the unborn child (16,20,23-31). CONTROVERSY OF SEASON
