PRESS RELEASE

 From the Office of the Commissioner of Health, Dr. Gale R. Burstein

Date August 7, 2016                             

CONTACT: Mary C. St. Mary/Mary.StMary@Erie.Gov

Phone: 716.858.4941/ Mobile: 716.253.3925

Pregnant Women—Protect Yourself

and Pass Protection on to Your Baby

Vaccinations Protect You and Those Around You

ERIE COUNTY, NY— To celebrate the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives – and to make sure everyone is protected with all the vaccines they need – the Erie County Department of Health (“ECDOH”) continues to recognize August as National Immunization Awareness Month.

During pregnancy, parents-to-be are often thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but they should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines during pregnancy not only protect the mom against diseases, but she can also begin to pass some protection to her baby that will last the first few months of life. The two vaccines that doctors and midwives routinely recommend during pregnancy are the pertussis or whooping cough vaccine (Tdap) and the influenza vaccine.

“Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to protect pregnant women from the flu and prevent serious flu-related problems, such as premature labor and delivery. When a pregnant woman receives a whooping cough vaccine, or Tdap, during each pregnancy, she will pass some antibodies that will help protect the newborn for the first months of life,” said Dr. Gale Burstein, Commissioner, ECDOH. "That is when babies are most vulnerable to the devastating complications associated with whooping cough. I encourage pregnant women to talk to their ob-gyns or midwives about these important vaccines.”

To learn more about the vaccines recommended during pregnancy at www.cdc.gov/vaccines, or by talking to your doctor or midwife, or by calling the ECDOH Immunization Clinic, located at 608 William St., in Buffalo at (716) 858-7687.