Recent studies have finally found a way to help prevent infections in newborns, as they are more likely to be hospitalized for influenza than any other age group, but shots are only allowed after six months. The infection presents greater risks for the oldest and the youngest patients, causing up to 500,000 deaths a year, of which 36,000 are Americans.

A study conducted in Bangladesh has shown that a flu shot provided to a woman during her pregnancy can help shield her newborn against the potentially deadly infection.

The leader of the research team, Dr. Mark C. Steinhoff, of Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore states: "Our study shows that a newborn's risk of infection can be greatly reduced by vaccinating Mom during pregnancy. A single dose of maternal influenza vaccine provides a considerable two-for-one benefit to both mothers and their young infants."

The study, published online on Sept. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted on a group of 340 pregnant women in Bangladesh and found that the shot slashed the number of proven cases of influenza by 63 percent in infants under 6 months and prevented about one in three respiratory illnesses in them and their mothers. The protection lasted for five to six months and was similar to the benefit from the shot seen in older children.

Dr. Steinhoff encourages mothers-to-be to consider getting a flu shot while pregnant, as a precautionary measure that would considerably decrease the chances of the newborn getting infections that are mostly treatable in adults, but usually deadly in small children.