From the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified pregnant women as one of the five initial target groups to receive the 2009 monovalent H1N1 influenza vaccine, many pregnant women report not knowing about the importance of vaccination.
The finding comes from a cross-sectional study of 813 postpartum women at the University of Colorado Hospital conducted between November 2009 and May 2010. Barbra M. Fisher, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow at the University of Colorado, Denver, reported that 64% of women received the seasonal influenza vaccine during the study period and 54% received the novel H1N1 influenza vaccine.
Women who chose not to receive either vaccine cited the following reasons for opting out: not knowledgeable about the importance of vaccination (25%), concern for effects on fetal health (18%), concern for effects on maternal health (9%) and not knowing where to obtain vaccination (9%). In addition, 6% said that the vaccine was not available to them.
The findings, Dr. Fisher said, suggest that future vaccination campaigns “should focus on education of vaccine safety, enhance provider-patient education and communication –– targeting specific portions of the population –– and early availability of appropriate vaccines.”
— Doug Brunk (on Twitter @dougbrunk)