The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7424 p504
28 October 2006

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JCVI recommends influenza vaccination in pregnancy

Women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy should be routinely offered influenza vaccination because of the increased risk of morbidity and mortality to both mother and fetus from seasonal influenza, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended.

The JCVI has also advised that patients with certain neurological conditions should be added to the “at risk” groups recommended for routine influenza immunisation. These include patients with multiple sclerosis and related conditions, patients with hereditary and degenerative disease of the central nervous system and patients with cerebrovascular disease. The recommendations, which will be considered by Government ministers, were reported in the minutes of the June meeting of the JCVI published earlier this week.