Winter is in full swing, which means runny noses, scratchy throats, and long queues at the doctor’s office to get those flu shots. While not everyone enjoys the occasional jab in the arm, flu shots are generally harmless. However, when it comes to pregnant women, the debate has often been hot and heavy around whether pregnant women receiving this shot would do any damage to their unborn fetus.
Doing a quick Google search could clear any confusion, but a study has put down some concrete evidence behind the topic. A study conducted in Canada saw researchers examine data from more than 104 000 children born in the province of Ontario between November 2009 and October 2010. Around 30% of these children were born to mothers who received the H1N1 vaccine while pregnant, reports News24.
To ensure that accurate data was collected, children were studied from the age of 0 to 5 years old. Through this process, the children were shown to have no increased risk of cancer, infections or chronic diseases, and gastrointestinal infection rates were slightly less as well. However, an interesting observation from the study revealed that childhood asthma rates were slightly higher with kids born to these vaccinated mums.
But fear not soon-to-be mums because these associations were minimal. According to the team who conducted the study, this could be a result of many other factors. However, they did conclude that receiving a flu shot while pregnant is safe for both mothers and children.
The resurfacing of this study comes at a critical time as the world currently battles a fierce pandemic, and pregnant women fear for the safety of their unborn children. Hopefully, this study will help put their minds at ease.
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