Troubling birth findings show importance of timely flu vaccination


Date:
October 13, 2021
Source:
University of Virginia Health System
Summary:
Poor timing of influenza vaccination campaigns in the semi-arid
region of Brazil led to an increase in premature births, lower
birth-weight babies and the need to deliver more babies by cesarean
section.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
With flu season approaching in the United States, new research from
an international team of scientists testifies to the importance of
timely vaccination: Poor timing of influenza vaccination campaigns in
the semi-arid region of Brazil led to an increase in premature births,
lower birth-weight babies and the need to deliver more babies by cesarean section, the researchers found.


==========================================================================
The findings, from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and longstanding collaborators at the Federal University of Ceara' in Brazil,
come as the United States rolls out annual flu vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts say that receiving the flu vaccine will be especially important
this year, to reduce the burden on hospitals and intensive care units
already overwhelmed by COVID-19.

"Working closely with Professor Aldo Lima, UFC graduate student Quirino
Filho and Ceara' health officials, UVA graduate student Gabriel Hanson
and a team of undergraduate BME Capstone students found evidence for circulation of seasonal influenza in the weeks and months prior to
the rollout of national flu vaccine campaigns in the state of Ceara',"
said researcher Sean Moore, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist at UVA Children's and a member of UVA's Child Health Research Center. "This misalignment was associated with seasonal patterns of premature birth,
low birth weight and birth by cesarean," The Importance of Vaccines
Moore teamed with Jason Papin, PhD, of UVA's Department of Biomedical Engineering, and colleagues in Brazil to better understand the effect
of severe respiratory infections on pregnancy. The researchers reviewed
severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), influenza and flu vaccinations
in the Brazilian state of Ceara' between 2013 and 2018. They found that
30 to 40 weeks after the peak of the flu season, birthweights fell and
rates of premature births increased from 10.7% to 15.5%. On average,
the 61 babies born to mothers who suffered SARI infections weighed 10%
less at birth.

These alarming trends repeated themselves year after year. The dominant
strain during nearly all those years was H1N1. The only exception was
2015, when seasonal H1 strains dominated. That year also saw lower flu
death rates than the norm.

The researchers note that children exposed to flu and other infections
while developing in the womb are at significantly greater risk of neurocognitive, physical and education problems later in life. They
conclude that earlier flu vaccination campaigns in Brazil would better
protect pregnant women and their babies. Because Ceara' is typically
the starting point for flu season in Brazil, improving the timing of
the vaccination campaigns there could ultimately have benefits across
the country.

"Brazil is a country with enviably high influenza vaccine uptake --
greater than 80% in people at high risk for severe influenza. Our data
suggest giving vaccines earlier in the year in Ceara' would better protect women during pregnancy and reduce bad outcomes," Moore said. "Influenza vaccines are not yet recommended in infants under 6 months of age. So
when a mother chooses to receive the flu vaccine during pregnancy, she
is giving an early gift to her baby. Mom's vaccine-acquired antibodies
are shared with her fetus and persist to help protect her baby against influenza during the vulnerable first months of life." In short, the
new findings have the potential to improve lives in Brazil -- and send
an important message about the importance of timely vaccination to the
rest of the world. That was made possible by an approach combining public health, data science and international collaboration.

"The intriguing results from this project demonstrated how data
science can help provide insight into complex biomedical problems,"
Papin said. "It was incredibly fun and rewarding to work with
such a diverse team of biomedical scientists. I'm hopeful that
the results here can have a real impact in the health of newborns." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_Virginia_Health_System. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jose' Q. Filho, Francisco S. Junior, Thaisy B.R. Lima, Va^nia
A.F. Viana,
Jaqueline S.V. Burgoa, Alberto M. Soares, A'lvaro M. Leite,
Simone A.

Herron, Hunter L. Newland, Kunaal S. Sarnaik, Gabriel F. Hanson,
Jason A.

Papin, Sean R. Moore, Aldo A.M. Lima. Perinatal Outcomes
of Asynchronous Influenza Vaccination, Ceara', Brazil,
2013-2018. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2021; 27 (9): 2409 DOI:
10.3201/eid2709.203791 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211013094124.htm

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