Respiratory Viral Infections and Infection Prevention Practices among Women with Acute Respiratory Illness during Delivery Hospitalizations during the 2019-2020 Influenza Season

Approximately one million hospitalizations for delivery occur during the influenza season each year, and yet little is known about the burden of acute respiratory infections among women hospitalized for delivery. Abt, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and six partner institutions collaborated on a cross-sectional study of acute respiratory viral infections (ARI) among women who were hospitalized for delivery during the 2019-2020 influenza season. The objective was to investigate the clinical testing practices for influenza and other respiratory viruses, assess the frequency of respiratory virus infections, and describe influenza antiviral treatment and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. We found that approximately 20% of women hospitalized at delivery with an ARI had laboratory-confirmed influenza, although half were not diagnosed by clinical testing. We concluded that standard screening at admission may increase adherence to IPC practices and could reduce the spread of influenza and other viral infections to mothers, infants, and healthcare personnel. This finding is of particular importance when considering implications of the COVID-19 pandemic just before, during, and after birth.