Influenza in pregnancy

Matthew J Memoli1, Hillery Harvey, David M Morens

  • 1Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of HealthOffice of the Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

The 2009 pandemic served as a strong reminder that influenza-induced disease can have a great impact on certain at-risk populations and that pregnant women are one such important population. The increased risk of fatal and severe disease in these women was appreciated more than 500 years ago, and during the last century, pregnant women and their newborns have continued to be greatly affected by both seasonal and pandemic influenza. In this review, we briefly discuss the data collected both before and after the 2009 pandemic as it relates to the impact of influenza on pregnant women and their fetuses/newborns, as well as risk variables, clinical features, clues to pathophysiologic mechanisms, and approaches to treatment and prevention.

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