Influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women - 29 States and New York City, 2009-10 season

Because influenza can be especially severe during pregnancy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend influenza vaccination for women who will be pregnant during the influenza season, regardless of trimester. During the 2009-10 influenza season, pregnant women were at increased risk for severe disease and mortality from influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 (pH1N1) pandemic virus infection. Anticipating this risk, both the inactivated trivalent seasonal and monovalent pH1N1 vaccinations were recommended for pregnant women. To estimate state-specific seasonal and pH1N1 influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women, CDC analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). This report provides estimates from 29 states and New York City (NYC) for women who had live births during September 2009-May 2010. Median state coverage was 47.1% for seasonal and 40.4% for pH1N1 influenza vaccination. Overall, women who reported that a health-care provider offered them influenza vaccination or told them to get it during their pregnancy were more likely to be vaccinated than those without an offer or recommendation (prevalence ratio PR] = 5.2 for seasonal, and PR = 14.4 for pH1N1). Substantial variation across areas was observed for prevalence of a provider offer or recommendation during pregnancy and for influenza vaccination. These findings highlight the need for state-specific strategies that optimize provider involvement to increase influenza vaccination of pregnant women.