Women who experienced a severe infection during their pregnancy are likely to have children with a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder and depression, a new study revealed.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

"Women should make sure they have an influenza vaccination in pregnancy," said Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf, co-author of the study and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

"Illness during pregnancy can be very dangerous for your baby's mental health and brain development," she added.

Following many studies, researchers found that children born to mothers who suffered an infection during pregnancy had a 79% increased risk of autism and a 24% increased risk of a depression as adults.

"An increased risk of suicide was also noticed in children who had been exposed to infections in utero," Adams Waldorf said, adding that this association made the depression findings "much stronger."

"We need more research into understanding the inflammation that occurs in the urinary tract infection and how it might impact the fetus," she said.

"The hippocampus is a very vulnerable part of the brain that is targeted by Zika virus infection but may be vulnerable to other infections as well," she explained, noting that this brain region "plays a key role in social and emotional functioning."