Kop van Noord-Holland – The flu season is around the corner again. Anyone can get the flu, including newborn babies. They have a higher risk of serious consequences of the flu, such as hospitalization. If the mother gets the flu shot during pregnancy, the baby is less likely to get the flu right from birth. The GGD offers a free flu shot for pregnant women.
In the Netherlands, an estimated ten to fifteen percent of all newborn babies get the flu every year. Every year, approximately three hundred of them develop such serious complaints that they have to be admitted to hospital. Ten to twenty babies a year even end up in intensive care. Pregnant women with flu are admitted to hospital more often than non-pregnant women of the same age. Every year, 45 pregnant women are admitted to hospital with flu.
A pregnant vaccinated woman has a fifty percent lower risk of flu than unvaccinated women. The flu shot also reduces the chance of becoming seriously ill from the flu. The pregnant woman produces antibodies that she passes on to her baby. This way the baby is protected from birth. Babies born to vaccinated mothers are about 35% less likely to get the flu than babies born to unvaccinated mothers. The chance that they will be admitted to hospital due to flu is also seventy percent lower.
Flu shot safety
Almost all countries in Europe and many beyond have been vaccinating pregnant women against flu for years. As a result, it is known that flu vaccination during pregnancy is safe for the pregnant woman and the baby. Vaccination during pregnancy does not lead to complications or other negative consequences for the pregnancy or the baby.
The flu shot can be obtained from 22 weeks of pregnancy until the end of pregnancy. The flu shot will be offered until March 1, 2024, because the flu season will then end. An appointment can easily be made via online registration form from the GGD. People with a medical condition automatically receive an invitation for the flu shot via their GP. They can then receive the flu shot earlier in the pregnancy.
Online meeting ‘Vaccinations during pregnancy’ for expectant parents
The GGD is organizing a free online meeting on this theme on Tuesday evening, November 7. You can register for ‘Vaccinations during pregnancy’ via this link.
2023-10-20 13:13:46
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