Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (Ohio, USA) said it received a US$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.” Researchers led by the Cincinnati Children’s Division of Global Health “will expand on a recent study (also supported by a Gates Foundation grant) showing that influenza vaccine not only prevents pregnant women from getting the flu, but also protects their infants. The new study, to be conducted in Asia, will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of maternal flu vaccination in areas with limited medical resources.” Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, with researchers from Johns Hopkins and the University of Washington, will carry out the study in rural areas of Bangladesh or Nepal. The study of 1,500 women will take five years to complete.

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/about/news/release/2009/gates-foundation-gives-grant-02-23-09.htm