Influenza Vaccination during Pregnancy
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, is encouraging health providers to ensure influenza vaccination is part of standard antenatal care. The Department of Health has released three videos, one for health professionals and two for consumers, highlighting the risks associated with influenza during pregnancy and the benefit of receiving the influenza vaccination.
Despite influenza vaccination being available free to pregnant women on the National Immunisation Program, vaccination rates remain low with only 1 in 3 pregnant women receiving the influenza vaccine. Influenza infection during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery and even death in newborns and very young babies. Pregnant women can have the vaccine at any time during pregnancy and they benefit from it all through the year.
The videos will be available through the Department’s social media outlets and YouTube. For those practices that subscribe to Tonic Health Media, the consumer videos will be broadcast in general practice waiting rooms and Tonic Health Media will be sending the provider video through its Electronic Direct Mail contact list that includes GPs, obstetricians, and practice nurses.
The health professional video can be found at:
The videos for pregnant women can be found at:
For further information visit the Pregnant Women page on the Immunise Australia Program website.
