Every pregnant woman deserves an optimal pregnancy, a safe delivery, and a healthy baby. Every child deserves the opportunity to survive and thrive. Maternal immunization is this principle turned into action.
Pregnant women and young infants have increased susceptibility to certain infectious diseases and/or are at heightened risk of experiencing severe disease. Vaccination during pregnancy provides crucial protection for both mothers and infants. Immunization safeguards pregnant women from infections that could harm them and their unborn children while also transferring antibodies to the fetus, which helps protect the newborn during the first few months of life.
The safety and effectiveness of immunization during pregnancy against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and influenza are well documented, and these vaccines are regularly included in national routine immunization schedules. Yet, uptake is inconsistent even among these recommended vaccines, primarily due to vaccine hesitancy.
In 2023, following the FDA approval of Pfizer’s bivalent RSVpreF, the U.S. CDC recommended that pregnant women receive a single dose of RSVpreF between weeks 32 and 36 of pregnancy, especially from September through January, to protect their babies from severe RSV disease.
Recommended resources:
1) Etti M, Calvert A, Galiza E, et al. Maternal vaccination: a review of current evidence and recommendations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022;226(4):459-474. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.10.041
2) Closer and closer? Maternal immunization: current promise, future horizons
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-0668-3
3) Health Alert Network. COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant people to prevent serious illness, deaths, and adverse pregnancy outcomes from COVID-19. 2021.
4) Kilich E, Dada S, Francis MR, et al. Factors that influence vaccination decision-making among pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2020;15: e0234827
5) What Parents of Young Children Should Know
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/public/child.html
6) For Healthcare Professionals: RSV Vaccination for Pregnant People
