Pregnant women may be given the flu vaccine following a recommendation from an independent expert advisory body.
Women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy - those more than 12 weeks pregnant - should be "routinely" offered an inactivated form of the vaccine, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said.
The recommendation emerged in the June minutes of the JCVI, published on its website, although the Department of Health stressed that it had not yet received a formal recommendation.
The JCVI minutes read: "The committee recommended that influenza vaccination should be routinely offered to pregnant women in their second and third trimester. This recommendation will be submitted to ministers shortly.
"In addition, the Committee recognised that attention needed to be given to communicating the benefits to pregnant women and their unborn children, and of any risks."
The vaccine is currently given to high-risk groups first, including the over-65s, people with respiratory conditions such as asthma, and those with chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Studies have show that women who have flu in pregnancy are more likely to suffer complications, and their child could be at higher risk of developmental disorders.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said the JCVI routinely examined the benefits of all new immunisations.
She described reports that the vaccine would be offered to pregnant women in a mass vaccination drive from next year as "premature speculation."
