The swine-flu vaccine has pregnant women at the top of the list. They are getting swine flu and seasonal flu shots and four recent studies talk about benefits for moms-to-be and their babies.

The study findings are to be presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America in Philadelphia. The subject will be bigger, healthier newborns, fewer preterm births and reduced rates of hospitalization top the findings.

In one of the studies which involved analyzing data on 6,410 births in Georgia, found that the risks of premature births and having low birth-weight infant were tremendously lowered among the 15 percent women who were vaccinated for swine flu during pregnancy.

Dr. Saad B. Omer, an assistant professor of global health and epidemiology at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, said during a news conference at which all four studies were discussed that premature births fell 70 percent among women who were vaccinated during the peak of the flu season.

He added that the chances of having a small baby were also reduced by 70 percent and similar results would be expected to be seen in women getting H1N1 vaccine for swine flu.

Omer said that despite the benefits of vaccination among pregnant women, only 25 percent are getting vaccinated. He and his colleagues also said that they need to publicize the benefits of vaccination in pregnancy.

Another report examined the response of health-care workers to call for flu shots.

Researchers from Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., conducted a survey of a group of doctors, nurses and other employees about their knowledge of flu vaccine and their attitudes and beliefs about getting themselves and their children vaccinated.