As I sit here writing this, I am 36 weeks pregnant, coughing up blood-tinged mucus, and officially positive for influenza A. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned these last few weeks of pregnancy, but here we are, another flu season in full swing, and this year, we got the flu.
The 2024-2025 flu season has been a particularly challenging one, with cases surging in January and February. Hospitals across the country are seeing an influx of flu-related complications, and the burden on the healthcare system is heavy. Every year, the flu takes a toll, yet vaccination rates remain lower than needed to prevent widespread outbreaks. Typically, flu vaccination rates in the United States hover around 50% for adults and slightly higher for children. However, public health experts estimate that for true herd immunity, where the spread of the flu is significantly slowed because enough people are immune, vaccination rates should be closer to 70-80%. Herd immunity is what helps protect our most vulnerable populations: infants, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near that threshold most years, leaving gaps that allow the virus to spread more freely.
We’ve seen time and time again that preventable diseases can return when vaccination rates drop. Just recently, in February 2024, a child in Texas tragically died from measles, a disease that was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. This heartbreaking case serves as a stark reminder that while we may think of certain illnesses as being eradicated, they are merely kept at bay by continued public health efforts, including vaccinations. When vaccination rates dip, these diseases find a way back, and the most vulnerable among us pay the price.
It’s easy to think of vaccination as a personal choice that only affects the individual receiving it. But in reality, vaccination is a collective action. The flu shot doesn’t just protect you; it protects the newborn who isn’t old enough to receive it, the cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, the elderly neighbor whose immune system isn’t as strong as it used to be, and the pregnant woman at the grocery store. When we choose to vaccinate, we are choosing to protect our community.
Being pregnant with the flu is no joke. Pregnant individuals are at a significantly higher risk for complications, including severe respiratory distress, pneumonia, hospitalization, and even preterm labor. The immune system naturally weakens during pregnancy to support the growing baby, making it harder to fight off infections. The flu can also pose risks to the baby, increasing the likelihood of low birth weight and other complications. Despite doing what I could to protect myself, I still got the flu. No vaccine is perfect, but the goal isn’t just to avoid illness completely; it’s to reduce the severity and risk of complications. I shudder to think about how much worse this could be if I hadn’t been vaccinated.
We live in a time where misinformation spreads faster than viruses. Distrust in vaccines, fueled by social media and misinformation campaigns, has real consequences. The flu, measles, and other preventable diseases are not just historical footnotes; they are present dangers when we let our guard down. So, what do we do? We come together as a community. We recognize that some actions, like getting vaccinated, aren’t just for ourselves but for the greater good. We reject the idea that individualism trumps collective responsibility when it comes to public health. We educate, we advocate, and we take action. Next year, and every year after, we can do better, and we can prepare. For ourselves, for our families, and for those who need us to do the right thing. Because when it comes to public health, we are all in this together.
