Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Using Bioluminescent Imaging to Investigate Synergism Between Streptococcus pneumoniae and Influenza A Virus in Infant Mice
Published on: April 14, 2011
Protective Effect of Maternal Influenza Vaccination on Influenza in Their Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study
Satoko Ohfuji1,2, Masaaki Deguchi3, Daisuke Tachibana4
1Department of Public Health, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka.
Insights
Maternal influenza vaccination protects young infants from the flu. Prenatal vaccination showed 61% effectiveness, offering crucial protection to infants too young for the influenza vaccine.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Infants under six months are highly susceptible to severe influenza complications.
- Current influenza vaccines are not approved for infants younger than six months.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of maternal influenza vaccination in protecting infants from influenza.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study involved 3441 infants and their mothers.
- Maternal vaccination status was collected via questionnaire.
- Infant influenza diagnosis and hospitalization data were gathered through follow-up surveys.
Main Results:
- Maternal influenza vaccination, particularly prenatal, significantly reduced infant influenza risk (61% effectiveness).
- Postpartum vaccination also showed protective effects (53% effectiveness).
- A trend towards reduced influenza-related hospitalizations was observed, though not statistically significant due to small sample size.
Conclusions:
- Influenza vaccination for pregnant and postpartum women is recommended to safeguard their infants.
- Maternal vaccination serves as a vital strategy for infant influenza prevention.
- This approach addresses the vulnerability of infants too young to be vaccinated directly.
Background:
Infants <6 months of age are too young to receive influenza vaccine, despite being at high risk for severe influenza-related complications.
Methods:
To examine the effectiveness of maternal influenza vaccination in preventing influenza in their infants, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 3441 infants born at participating hospitals before the 2013-2014 influenza season. At the time of recruitment, their mothers completed a questionnaire about influenza vaccination status for the 2013-2014 season. A follow-up survey was conducted after the end of the 2013-2014 season to collect information regarding influenza diagnosis and hospitalization among infants.
Results:
During the 2013-2014 influenza season, 71 infants (2%) had influenza diagnosed, and 13 infants (0.4%) were hospitalized with influenza. Maternal influenza vaccination (especially prenatal vaccination) decreased the odds of influenza among infants. The effectiveness of prenatal vaccination was 61% (95% confidence interval, 16%-81%), whereas that of postpartum vaccination was 53% (-28%-83%). Although maternal influenza vaccination was also associated with a decreased odds of influenza-related hospitalization among infants, vaccine effectiveness (73%) did not reach statistical significance, owing to the limited number of infants hospitalized because of influenza.
Conclusions:
The present findings indicated that pregnant women and postpartum women should receive influenza vaccination to protect their infants.
More Related Videos
09:09Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using PolyI:C to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
05:31Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...