"You're never too fit to get hit" is the message influenza specialists are pushing.
The Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) is supporting the push to focus on pregnant women and newborn babies for this year's seasonal influenza immunisation programme.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said pregnant women were up to 18 times more likely to be admitted to hospital suffering from the flu than non-pregnant women.
The WDHB had no recorded statistics of pregnant women with influenza being admitted to hospital in 2013.
New Zealand College of Midwives spokeswoman Lesley Dixon said pregnant women were at particularly high risk of severe complications from the flu because of the changes that occurred to their immune and other systems during pregnancy.