Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZPEVhvr-saQ   Only half of pregnant women receive the recommended flu and whooping cough vaccines say the latest CDC statistics.  The flu is a terrible risk for a pregnant woman, and pertussis is the same for her newborn.   Pregnancy makes the flu more severe, and increases the risk for hospitalization by 2.5 times.  Every year, pertussis lands up to 700 babies under the age of 2 months in the hospital struggling for their lives.   Each pregnant woman should receive the flu and the DTaP vaccines during each pregnancy.  The immunity conferred by both vaccines is passed to the developing fetus, and it is the greatest gift any mother can give to her developing child.   https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/pdfs/mm6840e1-h.pdf?deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM10321   #Influenza #pertussis #pregnancy #infants