Researchers at the University of Queensland call for urgent review of low rates of flu vaccination for pregnant women and pertussis vaccines for expectant young and Aboriginal mothers and / or the Strait Islands de Torres.
The figures were revealed by researchers in the multi-jurisdictional study Links2HealthierBubs, which looked at the largest observational cohort of mothers with babies born in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory between 2012 and 2017.
Dr. Lisa McHugh, a senior researcher at the UQ School of Public Health, said the researchers analyzed vaccination rates for nearly 600,000 pregnant women.
“Only 15% of the group received the flu vaccine in general, while 27% were vaccinated against whooping cough,” Dr. McHugh said.
“And only 12 percent received both.”
Whooping cough vaccinations in Aboriginal and / or island pregnancies in the Torres Strait were 20% lower than in non-indigenous pregnancies, with an equally lower absorption of the “flu vaccine”.
“We also found that pregnant women under the age of 20 were less likely to get vaccinated,” Dr. McHugh said.
“These results are worrying, especially because we have a potentially bad flu season this year.”
Influenza vaccines have been recommended, and are free, for pregnant women in Australia for decades, as they protect both mothers and babies from serious infections, and whooping cough vaccines were introduced in 2015. to protect babies under 6 months.
Dr. McHugh said women are more likely to get both vaccines during pregnancy if they attend prenatal care during the first trimester.
“Australia’s pertussis vaccine during the pregnancy program has been a key driver of the adoption of the flu vaccine during pregnancy, except among First Nations women,” she said.
“First Nations mothers were more likely to have had a flu shot during pregnancy before the prenatal whooping cough vaccine program, but they showed a declining trend after the introduction of the measles vaccine. whooping cough.
“Women who are less likely to get the flu shot during pregnancy need information about its importance in early pregnancy, so they are equipped with the knowledge to make that decision.
“Offering the flu vaccine from a trusted healthcare provider is a key factor in increasing this adoption.
“There is an urgent need for an up-to-date review of these vaccination data and strategies before the next flu pandemic or whooping cough outbreak occurs.”
This article is published in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Journal (DOI: 10.1111 / all.13548).
Media: Dr. Lisa McHugh, l.mchugh@uq.edu.auUQ Medical Communications, med.media@uq.edu.au, +61 (0) 7 3365 5118, +61 (0) 436 368 746.