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. 2018 Mar 5;217(6):878-886.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix629.

Protective Effect of Maternal Influenza Vaccination on Influenza in Their Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study

Satoko Ohfuji  1   2 , Masaaki Deguchi  3 , Daisuke Tachibana  4 , Masayasu Koyama  4 , Tetsu Takagi  5 , Takayuki Yoshioka  6 , Akinori Urae  7 , Kazuya Ito  1   2 , Tetsuo Kase  1   2 , Akiko Maeda  1 , Kyoko Kondo  8 , Wakaba Fukushima  1   2 , Yoshio Hirota  1   9   10 ; Osaka Pregnant Women Influenza Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Protective Effect of Maternal Influenza Vaccination on Influenza in Their Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study

Satoko Ohfuji et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

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.

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