Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, public interest in vaccines has risen drastically. Unfortunately, this does not account for the interest in all vaccines. In 2019, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 51.6% of Americans received their flu vaccination during flu season. However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination has actually gone down, most notably in pregnant women. This has caused great concern within the medical community, as pregnant women are highly susceptible to respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza.
Dr. Jason Paul Helliwell recognizes that a large degree of misinformation has been spread during the last two years regarding vaccination. As such, Dr. Jason Paul Helliwell of Advanced Women’s Health Center Bakersfield, CA, is now one of the many medical professionals currently promoting patient education, specifically in regards to vaccines. Since first entering the field of gynecology nearly 22 years ago, Dr. Jason Paul Helliwell has prioritized providing patients with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding their and their children’s wellbeing. For this reason, Dr. Jason Paul Helliwell of Advanced Women’s Health Center Bakersfield, CA, hopes to share the importance of excepting mothers obtaining their flu vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Influenza
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that attacks the nose, throat, and lungs. Today there are five types of influenza viruses; however, the most common types remain Type A and B. The influenza Type A and B viruses are primarily responsible for the seasonal flu epidemic that takes place each year. Influenza is known to affect different groups most severely, such as young children ( 6 months to 5 years old), those with underlying health issues (immunocompromised), pregnant women, and the elderly (65+). Medical professionals often state that the best way to protect individuals against the influenza viruses and their more serious complications is to get annual flu vaccines, otherwise known as “flu shots.” Today there are two main forms of flu vaccine, one given with a needle and another nasal spray option.
The most commonly cited symptoms of the flu include:
- Fever; feverish, chills
- Sore throat
- Severe cough
- Headaches
- Major fatigue/ tiredness
- Muscle aches/ body aches
- Runny nose
- Vomiting and diarrhea
The flu virus is spread in a similar way to the COVID-19 virus, as it is spread mainly through tiny droplets created when those infected with the virus cough, talk, or sneeze. These droplets are then transferred to individuals nearby when they ingest these droplets either through their nose or mouth. Although it is less common, a person can still be infected with the flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus droplets on it and then touching their eyes, mouth, or nose.
On average, roughly 5-15% of the global population contracts influenza each year, primarily during flu season (fall and winter). This accounts for 3-5 million severe influenza cases annually, with roughly 650,000 respiratory-related deaths each year. Influenza deaths occur primarily in high-risk groups, including young children, those with chronic health conditions, and the elderly. Since the late 1800s, large-scale flu pandemics have taken place every 10-50 years, with five major flu pandemics occurring since the 1900s. The most severe flu pandemic to date was by far the Spanish flu in 1918-1920 which killed roughly 50,000,000 individuals, howe3ver, the Asian flu in 1957, Hong Kong flu in 1968, the Russian flu in 1977, and the swine flu pandemic in 2009 also accounted for many deaths.
The first flu vaccine was made available to the American public in 1945, twenty-five years after the Spanish Flu outbreak. Since its invention, the flu vaccine has successfully prevented an estimated 7.5 million influenza illnesses. Each year, the CDC conducts studies into current influenza vaccines’ effectiveness and has determined that vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by roughly 40-60% among the overall populations during flu seasons when circulating flu viruses are matched to those used to make flu vaccines.
Influenza Vaccine and Pregnancy
When it comes to influenza vaccination, some pregnant women can be hesitant to get their vaccination as they are concerned about how the vaccine will affect their baby’s health. While these concerns are understandable, there are many medical studies that show flu shots are safe for pregnant women and do not impact child development. In fact, many doctors recommend that pregnant women receive their flu vaccine as pregnant women and their babies are at a higher risk for flu-related complications than women who are not pregnant. Pregnant women are also shown to have a higher chance of hospitalization due to flu symptoms than women of the same age group who are not pregnant. As pregnancy creates major changes to the mother’s immune system, heart, and lungs, it also makes mothers much more susceptible to influenza complications throughout pregnancy and up to two weeks postpartum. Additionally, influenza can also be quite harmful to a developing baby, as fever caused by influenza has been shown to increase the likelihood of neural tube defects and other adverse outcomes.
Doctors recommend that pregnant mothers get the flu shot (not the live attenuated vaccine/ nasal spray) as parental vaccination can also help protect babies from influenza for several months after birth, when they are too young to be vaccinated themselves but are still highly susceptible to the flu virus. Flu vaccines have been shown to drastically reduce the likelihood of flu hospitalization while pregnant. One 2018 study discovered that women who received the flu shot reduced their risk of being hospitalized with flu by roughly 40%.
