Coincidental miscarriage an issue; CDC advisory panel: flu vaccine in first trimester is OK.(News)

ATLANTA -- All women who will be pregnant during the influenza season should receive the influenza vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted at its winter meeting.

The new recommendation, which will be published this spring in the CDC's yearly influenza statement, replaces the previous guideline to vaccinate only those who are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Obstetric Practice had not yet issued a response at press time, but will likely support the recommendation. Dr. Stanley Gall. ACOG's liaison to ACIP, said in an interview.

"I would certainly support this. There is no evidence that the vaccine causes problems in pregnancy," said Dr. Gall, professor of ob.gyn. at the University of Louisville (Ky.).

Data suggest that women in all trimesters of pregnancy may be at increased risk of complications if they are infected with influenza, possibly resulting from increases in heart rate, stroke volume, and oxygen consumption; decreases in lung capacity: and changes in immunologic function during pregnancy (MMWR 52[RR08]:1-36, 2003).

The previous recommendation to limit vaccination to the second and third trimesters was made primarily because of the concern that coincidental spontaneous abortion during the first trimester might be ...