The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women get vaccinated for influenza (flu) in any trimester of pregnancy and pertussis (whooping cough) early in the third trimester of pregnancy in order to help prevent infection, hospitalizations or even death for themselves and their babies. Yet, many women go without getting these vaccinations during pregnancy. The CDC recently surveyed nearly 2,100 pregnant women, ages 18 to 49, and reported that the majority had not been vaccinated as part of their routine prenatal care.
65%
of mothers-to-be in the U.S. have not received two safe and effective vaccines recommended during pregnancy to reduce the risks of flu and whooping cough and protect their infants and themselves.
54%
of pregnant women reported getting a flu vaccine before or during pregnancy.
40%
of the risk for pregnant women being hospitalized due to flu is reduced when they get vaccinated.
72%
of the risk for infants younger than six months being hospitalized due to flu is reduced when their mothers get vaccinated during pregnancy.
55%
of women reported receiving a Tdap (whooping cough) vaccination during pregnancy.
78%
of cases of whooping cough in babies under two months old are prevented when their mothers get vaccinated. Mothers build high levels of antibodies that transfer to the fetus and continue to protect babies after birth.
67%
of babies younger than two months old who get whooping cough need care in the hospital. Seven out of 10 whooping cough deaths (69%) occur in this age group.
