Pregnancy is a unique time in the life of every man and woman who experience it. The whole family rushes in planning every detail to the best of their ability to protect the baby.
In Italy, however, too few mothers still follow the vaccination plan in order to protect the baby still in the womb and themselves.
For example, only 1.4 percent of pregnant women vaccinate against whooping cough, while in the United States the rate reaches 60 percent.
The pregnant woman and her newborn are among the most vulnerable to develop complications after contracting certain infections, causing serious effects on the unborn child, pregnancy outcome, and fertility. Vaccination remains the most effective strategy for protecting the mother and the baby.
The Ministry of Health has drafted an important guideline to recommended vaccinations in order to promote awareness and adherence.
For the woman of childbearing age considering pregnancy, it is very important to make sure that she is adequately immuno-protected against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.
Vaccinations that protect against these infections, however, are contraindicated during pregnancy-that is why continued attention to one's vaccination status and preventive counseling by experienced personnel is of paramount importance.
Booster vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and influenza are strongly recommended for pregnant women.
Whooping cough is a very serious infectious disease if contracted by the infant in the first few months of life, and the most effective strategy to protect him from infection (until he is old enough for the first recommended vaccinations) is just to vaccinate the mother. The recommended time for vaccination is the third trimester, about the 28th week of pregnancy.
"Pregnancy is a special time in a woman's life, a time when the mother-to-be does everything she can to protect her baby: she tries to eat well, she stops smoking, she exercises. But she is often unaware that she can do even more, which is to vaccinate herself to provide her newborn with protection against important infectious diseases, such as influenza and whooping cough. It is important, however, to communicate this well to women. And dispel myths and fears," Professor Pier Luigi Lopalco of the University of Pisa said during an interview.
Finally, it is recommended by the relevant authorities that pregnant mothers undergo flu vaccination in order to protect both: herself and the fetus.