Indian women who received a flu vaccination during their pregnancy prevented their newborns from contracting the illness, according a study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study looked at expectant mothers from the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Tribe. It found that babies who were born to women who were vaccinated during their second or third trimester were less likely to get the flu.

Of the 1,160 women who participated in the study, 49 percent chose to receive the vaccination. This resulted in a 41 percent reduction in flu risk to their newborns and a 39 percent risk to the women themselves.

Get the Story:
Mom's Flu Shot May Protect Baby After Birth (HealthDay News 10/5)
Pregnant? Flu Shots Protect Moms — and Their Babies (Time 10/5)

Get the Study:
Maternal Influenza Vaccination and Effect on Influenza Virus Infection in Young Infants (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine October 2010)