Sixty-five percent of pregnant women are not getting flu shots and Tdap vaccines per CDC recommendations, according to new data from the agency.
The CDC surveyed almost 2,100 pregnant women ages 18-49 between August 2018 and April 2019. Fifty-four percent of pregnant women reported getting a flu shot, and 55 percent reported getting the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. Only 35 percent received both.
About 75 percent of pregnant women reported receiving a recommendation from their physician to get both vaccines.
The CDC recommends pregnant women receive both vaccines to protect themselves and their infants from the illnesses and related complications. A 2018 study found that receiving the flu shot reduced a pregnant woman's risk of being hospitalized from the flu by 40 percent. When given to women late in their pregnancy, the Tdap vaccine also prevents whooping cough 77.7 percent of the time in babies younger than 2 months and prevents hospitalizations 90.5 percent of the time.
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