Doctors say flu season has arrived earlier than usual this year, with cases cropping up in late September.
Health professionals are encouraging patients, including those who are pregnant, to get their flu shots now.
Dr. Camille Clare, OB-GYN with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the vaccine protects unborn babies, too.
“Those antibodies actually get to the baby,” Weyer said. “The baby cannot get vaccinated until it's six months old. So that's why it protects not only a pregnant person, but also their baby from any of those complications.”
Being pregnant can put people at greater risk of severe illness from influenza, like pneumonia, and pregnant people are at a higher risk of ICU admission.
Dr. Jessica Weyer, an OB-GYN at Concord Hospital said if someone is pregnant and has the flu, they should see their OB-GYN or primary care doctor, where they can get Tamiflu to help decrease the severity of illness.
“It's actually a much more dangerous disease when you're pregnant than when you are not,” Weyer said.
Weyer said the flu vaccine has been standard of care for pregnant people for decades and that it is safe.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has vaccine guidance for adults informed by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
