Influenza is a problematic epidemic that affects millions of people worldwide. Those in developing countries are especially at risk because of their limited access to healthcare. Pregnant women and very young children are also high risk of this disease becoming fatal because of the lack of approved vaccinations. A new study has shown that infants of mothers who are vaccinated against the flu have a decreased chance of contracting the disease.

Researchers have studied over 2,000 pregnant women who were given flu vaccines and the children from this group had a vaccine efficacy of 70% at 4 months and over 50% at 5 months. Senior author Myron M. Levine recommends that more research on a larger scale must be conducted. This research would be an important step in the fight to save lives within the developing and poor countries around the world who do not have access to adequate healthcare.