Maternal Flu, Tdap Shots May Lower Rates of Infant Hospitalization, ED Visits

FRIDAY, Jan. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Maternal influenza and tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations are associated with a lower risk for influenza- and pertussis-related hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visits in infants younger than 6 months, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in JAMA Network Open.

Gabriella Morabito, from the National Centre for Healthcare Research and Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Milano-Bicocca Milan in Italy, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study using health care utilization databases from the Lombardy region of Italy to examine the association of maternal influenza and Tdap vaccinations with influenza- and pertussis-related hospitalizations and ED visits among infants aged younger than 6 months.

A total of 53,448 pregnant individuals who received the Tdap vaccine and 5,347 who received the influenza vaccine were included in the study. Maternal vaccination coverage was 6.4 and 41.0 percent for influenza and Tdap, respectively. The researchers found that the risk for hospitalization or ED visits for influenza and pertussis was lower among infants born to mothers who received the influenza and Tdap vaccines (vaccine effectiveness, 69.7 and 88.6 percent, respectively).

“These results support the current recommendations for administering these vaccines during pregnancy and highlight the urgent need to implement strategies aimed to increase their acceptance,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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