Seasonal Influenza (Flu) for Ob-Gyns
May 24, 2013: There have been 146 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 743 hosptialized women of childbearing age (15-44), 217 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, about 50% were among adults 65 years and older.
May 10, 2013: What you should know for the 2013-2014 influenza season, from the CDC. Also from the CDC, interim ACIP recommendations. The FDA has recommended the following formulation for influenza vaccines for the US 2013-2014 season:
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an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus;
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an (H3N2) virus antigenically like the cell propogated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011;
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a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like virus
The FDA also recommended that the quadrivalent influenza vaccines contain an additional B Strain:
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a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus
For additional information from the FDA, click here. For information on the selection process for the seasonal influenza vaccine, click here.
May 10, 2013: There have been 137 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 657 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 199 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
May 3, 2013: There have been 137 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 615 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 185 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information. Additionally, CDC has released the April 2013 issue of Immunization Works.
April 19, 2013: There have been 126 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 536 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15044 years), 163 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
April 12, 2013: There have been 116 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 502 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 158 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
April 5, 2013: There have been 111 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 460 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 141 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
March 29, 2013: There have been 110 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 435 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 133 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 51% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
March 22, 2013: There have been 105 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 394 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 119 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 51% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
March 15, 2013: There have been 99 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 363 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 103 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 51% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
March 8, 2013: There have been 87 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 336 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 93 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 51% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
March 1, 2013: There have been 81 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 288 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 76 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 51% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
February 22, 2013: CDC has published updated interim Vaccine Effectiveness information.
February 22, 2013: There have been 78 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 267 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 71 were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
February 15, 2013: There have been 64 pediatric deaths from flu. Among 218 hospitalized women of childbearing age (15-44 years), 63 were pregnant (29.7%). This data represents a decrease from the 2011-2012 Influenza Season when 34.9% of hospitalized women of childbearing age were pregnant. Of reported hospitalizations, more than 50% were among adults 65 years and older. Visit CDC's Flu View for additional information.
February 5, 2013: Looking for vaccine? The National Influenza Vaccine Summit posts updated information to the Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System (IVATS).
January 29, 2013: Pregnant women need the flu shot, visit CDC's pregnancy specific website for additional information.
January 25, 2013: The CDC has updated their influenza antiviral medications summary for clinicians for the 2012-2013 Influenza Season, click here to view their updated information.
January 17, 2013: The College has issued an algorithm to assess and treat pregnant women with influenza-like illness (ILI). Click here to view the algorithm. Click here for CDC antiviral treatment information.
UPDATED January 17, 2013: The 2012-2013 season has started earlier than previous seasons and we are seeing elevated influenza illness levels.
Pregnant women are at significant risk for respiratory complications, preterm labor and delivery and ICU admission due to flu. Infants 6 months and younger are also at an increased risk of severe illness and even death from the flu.
The flu season is unpredictable and the best protection against getting sick with the flu is the flu shot. It's not too late to get one! Project yourself and your loved ones by getting vaccinated. Click here to find a flu shot clinic near you.
Flu Resources from CDC:
Flu: what you should know for the 2012-13 season
2012-2013 Flu Vaccine Effectiveness
Free Print Material for Providers
Update on Availability of Antivirals
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a webpage dedicated to the availability of antivirals during the current (2012-2013) flu season. Click here for more information.
Update on Influenza Vaccine Supply
For the 2012-2013 season, 145 million doses of influenza vaccine have been produced for the U.S. market. And, as of January 4, 2013, 128 million doses have been distributed. At this time, while some vaccine providers may have exhausted their vaccine supplies, most providers still have available doses for administration based on a January 10-14, 2013, survey from the National Influenza Vaccine Summit. CDC does not have a recommendation to prioritize remaining supplies of vaccine.
CDC continues to recommend influenza vaccination for all people 6 months and older. It remains especially important that people at high risk of influenza complications get vaccinated, including pregnant women, children under 5 years but especially younger than 2 years, older adults 65 years and older, and people with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.
Providers interested in ordering additional influenza vaccine can visit the Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System IVATS at http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/to find information regarding distributors and vaccine manufacturers that have vaccine for sale
Influenza Antiviral Medications
CDC has issued recommendations for clinicians on the use of antiviral medications for treatment and prevention of influenza. A summary is available here. Please reference Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, "Antiviral Agents for teh Treatment and Chemoprophylaxis of Influenza" Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), January 21, 2011/60(RR01);1-24, for additional information.
Update on Antiviral Availability
On January 10, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released information indicating there may currently be intermittent shortages of Oseltamivir Phosphate (Tamiflu) for Oral Suspension (6mg/mL 60 mL), due to increased demand for the drug. This is the pediatric suspension (liquid). Note: Influenza antiviral drugs are commercially manufactured, and supplies of these drugs are dependent upon commercial manufacturers.
Compounding of Tamiflu 75 mg Adult Capsules to make an Oral Suspension
FDA has instructions for pharmacists available online on how to compound an oral suspension from Tamiflu 75 mg (adult) capsules. These instructions provide for an alternative oral suspension when commercially manufactured oral suspension formulation is not readily available.
In some cases, clinicians can consider substituting a 30 or 45 mg capsule for children (if dose is appropriate) rather than suspension, particularly if there are spot shortages of suspension. These capsules may be opened and mixed with sweetened liquids, such as regular or sugar-free chocolate syrup, if oral suspension is not available.
New! CDC 2012-2013 Influenza Season Key Points for Pregnant Women:
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1) Getting a flu shot protects pregnant women from getting the flu. Studies also have shown that getting a flu shot while you are pregnant can decrease your baby’s risk of getting the flu for up to 6 months after birth.
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a) Pregnant women are more likely to become severely ill with the flu than women who are not pregnant.
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b) Pregnant women with the flu have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery.
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c) Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect you from the flu and prevent possible flu-associated pregnancy complications.
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d) When pregnant women get flu shots, they and their babies (after birth) get the flu less often.
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2. If you have additional questions, talk to your doctor about flu vaccination during pregnancy.
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3. Pregnant women are at high risk of serious flu complications. If you get sick with the flu, call your doctor right away. He or she may recommend treatment with antiviral drugs.
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4. Babies younger than 6 months of age are too young to get a flu vaccine. To protect these babies from getting the flu, their mothers should get the flu shot during pregnancy. An additional way to protect the baby is for all caregivers and close contacts (including fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents and babysitters) to get vaccinated against the flu.
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Listen in as Dr. Mark S. DeFrancesco discusses the importance of the seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine for pregnant women.
Seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination is the most important way of preventing seasonal influenza virus infections and potentially severe complications, including death. Seasonal influenza vaccination reduces the likelihood of becoming ill with influenza or transmitting influenza to others. The 2011-2012 seasonal influenza vaccine protects against the influenza A H3N2 virus, the influenza B virus, and the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused widespread illness in 2009-2010.
The most effective strategy for preventing seasonal influenza (flu) is annual immunization. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older get vaccinated annually for seasonal influenza (flu). This is especially important among high-risk groups, including pregnant women, older people, young children and newborns, and people with chronic illnesses. The influenza vaccine is safe for pregnant women and their unborn children as well as postpartum and breastfeeding women and can be given during any trimester. Pregnant women are at increased risk for serious illness and death from the flu. Immunizing pregnant and postpartum women against seasonal influenza can protect the mother and may help her baby by preventing the spread of the flu from mother to child following delivery. Click here to read the 2012-2013 recommendations for influenza vaccination from ACIP.
Certain people, including pregnant women, young children, older people, and people with certain long-term health conditions, are at greater risk for serious illness or death from the flu. It is very important for individuals at high risk of developing flu related complications receive the flu vaccine. Individuals in this group include:
Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Resources
View key seasonal influenza resources, both from our site and the CDC, below:
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A Physician Script on Influenza Immunization During Pregnancy
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A new study Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Pregnant Women in the United States for the 2011-12 Influenza Season found that for the 2011-12 season, 47% of pregnant women had received influenza vaccination: 36.5% during pregnancy and 10.5% before pregnancy or after delivery. "Among women who received both a health-care provider recommendation and offer for influenza vaccination, 73.6% received influenza vaccination, which was substantially higher for women whose health-care provider recommended but did not offer vaccination (47.9%) and for women who did not receive either a provider recommendation or offer (11.1%).The top two reasons that pregnant women gave for not getting vaccinated were: “I am concerned about possible safety risks to my baby if I got vaccinated” and “I am concerned that the vaccination would give me the flu.” Women who received a provider offer for influenza vaccination were more likely to have positive attitudes about vaccination effectiveness and safety. The study underscores that fact that continued efforts are needed to encourage providers to 1.) get vaccinated themselves and 2.) to not only strongly recommend vaccination of their pregnant patients but to offer influenza vaccine on site so both pregnant patients and their infants are protected.
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See the College’s Committee Opinion on Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy.
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Guidelines and resources on vaccinating pregnant and breastfeeding women for the flu
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Visit CDC's website to monitor this year's flu activity and surveillance
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This report updates previous recommendations made by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
Please see our Resource area for a listing of Provider Materials.
Seasonal Influenza (Flu) for Patients
There are many steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from the flu. The first and most important step is to get a flu shot. The best way to avoid the flu is getting the vaccine.
It’s not too late to get vaccinated! This is only the middle of flu season. So, if you have not had your flu shot this year, the CDC recommends that you get one as soon as possible. The vaccine doesn’t work right away. It takes about 2 weeks for your body to build up immunity to the flu. Use this Vaccine Finder to find a flu shot clinic near you.
There are also daily hygiene steps you can take to protect yourself and others. These include:
• Washing your hands often
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Covering your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or coughing/sneezing into your elbow, not your hands
Attention pregnant women! Pregnant women, their unborn babies, and newborns have a higher risk of serious illness and complications from the flu. Protect yourself and your baby by getting a flu shot as soon as possible. The CDC and the College recommend that pregnant women get a flu shot during any trimester. Also, if you become ill while pregnant do not wait to contact your health care provider. You may need to start antiviral treatment (such as Tamiflu) to help prevent more serious illness.
The following links provide more information on the 2012–13 flu season:
CDC’s “Take 3” actions to fight the flu!
Flu: what you should know for the 2012–13 season
2012–2013 Flu Vaccine Effectiveness
Seasonal influenza (flu) is a virus that spreads easily among people. It is most common between October and May. Some people can become seriously ill or die if they get the virus. Getting a vaccine is the best way to prevent getting seasonal influenza virus infection. Vaccination also prevents spreading flu to others. For the 2012–2013 flu season, a new vaccine is available. One shot protects against three different flu strains. These strains are the influenza A H3N2 virus, the influenza B virus, and the 2009 H1N1 virus. The H1N1 strain caused widespread illness in 2009–2010.
Most people who get infected with flu virus become ill. For some people, this infection can be more serious or even life threatening. The best way to avoid getting flu infection is by getting a vaccine each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older get the yearly flu vaccine. This is especially important among high-risk groups, including pregnant women, older adults, young children and newborns, and people with long-term illnesses. Click here to read the 2012-2013 recommendations for influenza vaccination from CDC.
The flu vaccine is safe for pregnant women and their unborn children. It can be given during any trimester. It is also safe after delivery and for breastfeeding women. Pregnant women are at increased risk for serious illness and death from the flu. Getting the flu vaccine can protect the mother and her baby. It can also prevent the spread of the flu from mother to child after delivery.
Listen inas Dr. Mark S. DeFrancesco discusses the importance of the seasonal flu vaccine for pregnant women.
Certain people, including pregnant women, young children, older people, and people with certain long-term health conditions, are at greater risk for serious illness or death from the flu. It is very important for those at high risk of developing complications from the flu to receive the flu vaccine. Individuals in this group include:
- Pregnant Women
- Adults age 65 years and older
- American Indians and Alaskan Natives
- Individuals with certain medical conditions including asthma, obesity, chronic lung disease, heart disease, and a weakened immune system due to disease (such as HIV, AIDS, or cancer) or medication (such as long-term steroids or long-term aspirin therapy in people younger than age 19 years) as well as brain, spinal cord, muscle, seizure, stroke, blood, liver, kidney, endocrine system, or metabolism disorders.
Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Resources
View key seasonal influenza resources, both from our site and the CDC, below:
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This report updates previous recommendations made by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of antiviral agents for the prevention and treatment of influenza.
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See the College’s new Committee Opinion on Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy.
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CDC Patient Fact Sheet on Treating and Preventing Influenza (Flu)
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Guidelines and resources on vaccinating pregnant and breastfeeding women for the flu
Click here to find a flu vaccine near you!