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Although infants are at high risk for influenza complications, they are ineligible for influenza vaccination until age 6 months. Vaccination of pregnant women is recommended to protect the mothers, but maternal antibody — transferred through the placenta before birth — may also protect their newborn infants. In a cohort study that was partially supported by industry, investigators evaluated the effects of such vaccination. The study was conducted in the Navaho and White Mountain Apache Indian reservations, where rates of influenza-like illness (ILI) are higher than those in the general U.S. population.
Mothers with healthy infants aged ≤2 weeks were enrolled during three influenza seasons (November 2002 to September 2005) and were followed u…