CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has received a $6.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help prevent flu in pregnant women and their infants in rural areas around the world.
Most childhood deaths occur in the first hours and months of life when infants are most susceptible to infections. In developing countries, where many births happen at home, protecting these infants is a challenge. Maternal immunization, which is routinely used in developing countries to prevent tetanus in infants, could also offer us a tool to help mothers protect their infants against influenza in this vulnerable time.