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. 2018 Aug 8;13(8):e0200934.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200934. eCollection 2018.

Exploring the risk of severe outcomes and the role of seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnant women hospitalized with confirmed influenza, Spain, 2010/11-2015/16

Clara Mazagatos  1   2 , Concepción Delgado-Sanz  1   2 , Jesús Oliva  1   2 , Alin Gherasim  1   2 , Amparo Larrauri  1   2 ; Spanish Influenza Surveillance System
Affiliations

Exploring the risk of severe outcomes and the role of seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnant women hospitalized with confirmed influenza, Spain, 2010/11-2015/16

Clara Mazagatos et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Based on previous observations during pandemics and seasonal epidemics, pregnant women are considered at risk of developing severe influenza outcomes after influenza infection. With the aim of preventing severe influenza illness, the World Health Organization (WHO) includes pregnant women as a target group for seasonal influenza vaccination. However, influenza vaccine uptake during pregnancy remains low in many countries, including Spain. The objectives of this study were to increase the evidence of pregnancy as a risk factor for severe influenza illness and to study the potential role of seasonal influenza vaccination in the prevention of severe outcomes in infected pregnant women. Using information from the surveillance of Severe Hospitalized Confirmed Influenza Cases (SHCIC) in Spain, from seasons 2010/11 to 2015/16, we estimated that pregnant women in our study had a relative risk of hospitalization with severe influenza nearly 7.8 times higher than non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Only 5 out of 167 pregnant women with known vaccination status in our study had been vaccinated (3.6%). Such extremely low vaccination coverage only allowed obtaining crude estimates suggesting a protective effect of the vaccine against influenza complications (ICU admission or death). Our overall results support that pregnant women could benefit from seasonal influenza vaccination, in line with national and international recommendations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Weekly ILI rates and number of severe hospitalized pregnant women with confirmed influenza by type/subtype of influenza virus, Spain, seasons 2010/11 to 2015/2016.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Relative risk of hospitalization with severe influenza in pregnant women, Spain, 2010–2015.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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