Prior posts have noted the various ad hominem attacks on vaccination, and that such arguments utterly lack scientific merit. The weight of scientific evidence unfortunately fails to deter the nuts and well intentioned from wailing against vaccinations, putting children and the populace in general at risk.
Getting the flu appears to nearly double a pregnant woman’s risk of having a miscarriage or stillbirth, data from Norway during the 2009-2010 global flu pandemic shows. But getting vaccinated during pregnancy greatly reduces a woman’s risk of flu. The study also finds that getting a flu shot during pregnancy is safe. Anecdotal reports had suggested that flu vaccination during gestation might have adverse effects on the fetus, but the new study — as well as two previous studies from Canada and Denmark — now show no such connection.
The mechanism connecting flu infection and increased fetal death risk is unknown, but researchers suspect high fever and systemic inflammation in the mother are the likely causes.
The report can be found at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1207210.
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