Pregnant? Get the flu vaccine to protect you and your baby.

www.immunisationscotland.org.uk/flupregnancy

1. It’s safe for you

and your baby

at any stage of

your pregnancy.

2. It protects your baby from flu for at least three months after birth.

Four reasons to get the flu vaccine.

3. It’s officially

supported and

recommended by

Scotland’s Chief

Medical Officer and

Chief Nursing

Officer.

Contact your GP practice to make an appointment today. Or for more information, visit:

www.immunisationscotland.org.uk/flupregnancy

4. The flu vaccine cannot give you flu.

4. The flu vaccine cannot give you flu.

Continues to protect your baby for three months after birth.Evidence shows that the flu vaccine can also help protect your baby for at least three months after birth. So you’ll get extra peace of mind during that crucial first stage in your child’s life.

Don’t get flu, get the vaccine. Contact your GP practice to make an appointment today.

Flu can be serious. So don’t risk it.Flu is much more than a bad cold. It can make even healthy people feel very unwell for a week or more. In the most serious cases, flu can bring on other major complications which can, in extreme cases, result in death. If that wasn’t reason enough to get the vaccine, you have an extra reason to protect yourself.

When you’re pregnant, flu can hit you harder – your immune system is weakened putting both you and your baby at risk.

Make sure you’re both protected. Unfortunately, flu viruses don’t play fair. They change every year, meaning your immunity is reduced over time. So, even if you had the vaccine last year, you should still play it safe and get protected again.

Remember, a healthy flu-free pregnancy last time around doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch flu this time. To make sure you get the maximum protection possible, get the vaccine again. It’s available from October to March.

Better safe than sorry.The flu vaccine is quick, safe and it’s free in Scotland if you’re pregnant. So do the sensible thing: act now and arrange your flu vaccination as soon as you can. Just contact your GP practice to make an appointment today and you can cross another thing off your list.

The vaccine protects you and your baby from flu.It goes without saying that you want the best for your baby from day one. Protecting against flu is a part of that. By getting vaccinated you can stop the flu virus putting the health of you and your baby at risk.

That’s backed up by expert opinion. The Royal College of Midwives and Scotland’s Chief Medical and Chief Nursing Officers agree that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine. And that’s still the case whether you’ve had the vaccine before or if this isn’t your first baby. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

But whether you’re getting the vaccine for the first time or renewing protection from last year, you’ll get the protection you need.

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To order additional copies email nhs.healthscotland-flu@nhs.net This resource is available in Urdu, Chinese and Polish, and in an Easy Read format. NHS Health Scotland is happy to consider requests for other languages and formats. Please contact 0131 536 5500 or email nhs.healthscotland-alternativeformats@nhs.net

For any other information email nhs.healthscotland-publications@nhs.net

There’s enough to be thinking about when you’re pregnant without

worrying about catching flu. So, why risk it? Better safe than sorry – get the flu vaccine.

Contact your GP practice to make an appointment today or for more

information visit www.immunisationscotland.org.uk/

flupregnancy