Influenza rates among pregnant women: vaccinated vs unvaccinated
by
Teresa Binstock
Researcher in Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy
September 27, 2009
Circa 2009, a loud chorus admonishes pregnant women to get influenza
vaccinations and H1N1 vaccinations. Remarkably, these recommendations occur
despite findings in a study whose researchers included personnel from the
Vaccine Safety Datalink Workgroup.
As reported in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Perinatology, rates of
illness among women vaccinated during pregnancy and among their infants were
virtually the same as illness rates among women who had not been vaccinated
during pregnancy and among their infants (1).
Given data such as those presented by Black et al (1), we ask: Why are pregnant
women encouraged to be vaccinated against influenza? Has vaccinology become a
virtual religion wherein data contrary to vaccine orthodoxy can be ignored?
As we look to answers for these questions, additional concerns include adverse
effects of vaccination-induced cytokine storms (citations in 2) and findings of
adverse effects of vaccinal thimerosal and squalene (eg, citations in 3-5).
We are living in a time when vaccinologists need desanctify their own a
priori "truths" and need temper them with discomforting data presented in
peer-reviewed journals.
1. Effectiveness of
influenza vaccine during pregnancy in preventing hospitalizations and outpatient
visits for respiratory illness in pregnant women and their infants
Am J Perinatol. 2004 Aug;21(6):333-9.
Black SB, Shinefield HR, France EK, Fireman BH, Platt ST, Shay D; Vaccine Safety
Datalink Workgroup.
Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA 94612, USA.
{available online for $36 usd}
http://www.thieme-connect.com/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-2004-831888
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends influenza vaccination for women who will be in
the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season. We
analyzed hospital admissions with principal diagnoses of influenza or pneumonia
and influenza-like illness (ILI) outpatient visits to study the effectiveness of
influenza vaccine during pregnancy in protecting women and infants from
influenza-related morbidity. Estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness across
five flu seasons (Fall 1997 to Spring 2002) were calculated using Cox
proportional hazards models for women and infant study populations in Kaiser
Permanente Northern California. Outpatient utilization outcomes included
physician visits with a diagnosis of upper respiratory infection, pharyngitis,
otitis media, asthma, bronchial asthma, viral infection, pneumonia, fever,
cough, or wheezing associated with respiratory illness. Inpatient outcomes
included hospitalizations with principal diagnoses of influenza or pneumonia.
Women who received influenza vaccine during pregnancy had the same risk for ILI
visits compared with unvaccinated women, adjusting for women's age and week of
delivery. When asthma visits were excluded from the outcome measure, we also
found no difference in the risk of outpatient visits for vaccinated and
unvaccinated women. Hospital admissions for influenza or pneumonia for women in
the study population were quite rare and no women died of respiratory illness
during pregnancy. Infants born to women who received influenza vaccination had
the same risks for influenza or pneumonia admissions compared with infants born
to unvaccinated women, adjusting for infant's gender, gestational age, week of
birth, and birth facility. Maternal influenza vaccination was also not a
significant determinant of risk of ILI (excluding otitis media) outpatient
visits for infants, nor did it significantly affect the risk of otitis media
visits. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy did not significantly affect the
risk of cesarean section, adjusting for the woman's age. It also did not affect
the risk of preterm delivery. Although the immunogenicity of influenza
vaccination in pregnancy in mother and infant has been well documented, in this
study, we were unable to demonstrate the effectiveness of influenza vaccination
with data for hospital admissions and physician visits. One possible
interpretation of these findings is that typical influenza surveillance measures
based on utilization data are not reliable in distinguishing influenza from
other respiratory illness. Hospitalizations for respiratory illness were
uncommon in both vaccinees and nonvaccinees.
2.
Vaccination-induced cytokines: schizophrenia & developmental disabilities
Sep 07, 2009
3.
Why do vaccine officials ignore adverse effects of thimerosal, aluminum, and
squalene?
Sep 20, 2009
4.
Letter to LATimes reporter: flu shots & H1N1 vaccinations implicate thimerosal,
autism, special education
Sep 25, 2009
5.
Autism, mercury, other toxic metals, & glutathione
Aug 12, 2009