Influenza vaccination rates among pregnant women have increased significantly over the past four years, helping to further protect the health of thousands of Western Australian mothers and their babies.
New figures recently released by the Department of Health, shows that the proportion of women who received the influenza vaccination during pregnancy rose from 25% in 2012 to 61% in 2016.
In other positive news, there has also been an increase in the percentage of women who received a pertussis vaccine during pregnancy, up from 70% in 2015 to 78% in 2016.
The improved immunisation rates have largely been attributed to a concerted effort by WA health practitioners to ensure pregnant women and their babies are protected from serious illnesses.
While more women are choosing to be vaccinated, adverse reactions from immunisations have remained relatively low. Data collected between 2012 and 2016 showed that around 10-12% of women, vaccinated during pregnancy, experienced an adverse reaction – most commonly fatigue, a local reaction, or a headache.
For more information about immunisations during pregnancy visit HealthyWA (external site).