Flu Vaccination - Women in District of Columbia

District of Columbia

The flu vaccine helps protect people against seasonal influenza viruses. Flu is a respiratory illness that can lead to severe complications. Estimates suggest that during the 2024-2025 flu season, vaccines prevented 10 million flu-related illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 deaths associated with influenza in the United States. 

While all women are at risk of developing complications from influenza (such as pneumonia and sinus and ear infections), pregnant women are at greater risk of severe illness and hospitalization. Maternal influenza infection, especially during the first trimester, tends to affect the development of the fetus and increase the risk of cesarean delivery, whereas vaccination during pregnancy is linked to a lower risk of low birth weight and preterm delivery. Getting the flu vaccine while pregnant also helps protect babies from flu illness in the first several months after their birth, when they are too young to get vaccinated. 

Flu vaccination is highly cost-effective among pregnant women and may save $3.7 billion a year. 

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of flu vaccination is higher among:

• Women ages 35-44 compared with women ages 18-34. 
• Asian women compared with Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women. 
• College graduates compared with women with less education. 
• Women with an annual household income of $150,000 or more compared with those who have incomes less than $25,000.
• Women living in metropolitan areas compared with those in nonmetropolitan areas.
• Women without a disability compared with those who have difficulty seeing.
• LGBQ+ women compared with straight women. 
• Women who have served in the U.S. armed forces compared with women who have not served.

Interventions to increase vaccination among women include:

• Encouraging health care providers to discuss flu vaccination with patients. Patients are more likely to get vaccinated when providers recommend, offer and discuss flu vaccination with them. 
• Providing client reminders for patients who have previously received vaccinations. 
• Providing free or reduced-cost vaccinations.
• Increasing awareness through campaigns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides seasonal flu vaccination campaign materials to help partners communicate the importance of vaccination. 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly recommends that pregnant women, or those expecting to be pregnant during flu season, get vaccinated to protect both their health and their child's. Individuals can use the Vaccines.gov locator tool to find nearby pharmacies that offer flu shots. The Department of Health and Human Services offers additional resources and information on obtaining free or low-cost vaccinations, including for individuals without insurance coverage.

Healthy People 2030 has a goal to increase the proportion of people who get the annual flu vaccine.

Chaiken, Sarina R., Alyssa R. Hersh, Marguerite S. Zimmermann, Britta M. Ameel, Vanessa R. Layoun, and Aaron B. Caughey. “Cost-Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination during Pregnancy.” The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, January 21, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2021.1876654.

de Courville, Caroline, Sarah M. Cadarette, Erika Wissinger, and Fabián P. Alvarez. “The Economic Burden of Influenza among Adults Aged 18 to 64: A Systematic Literature Review.” Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 16, no. 3 (2022): 376–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12963.

Welch, Verna L., Tom Metcalf, Richard Macey, Kristen Markus, Amy J. Sears, Ashley Enstone, Jakob Langer, Amit Srivastava, Alejandro Cane, and Timothy L. Wiemken. “Understanding the Barriers and Attitudes toward Influenza Vaccine Uptake in the Adult General Population: A Rapid Review.” Vaccines 11, no. 1 (January 13, 2023): 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11010180.

Zhang, Xueyan, G. K. Balasubramani, Helen Eleni Aslanidou D’Agostino, Hui Liu, and Anne-Marie Rick. “The Impact of Maternal Influenza Infection and Vaccination during Pregnancy on Birth Outcomes.” The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, February 25, 2026, 10.1097/INF.0000000000005194. https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000005194.