Vaccines in pregnancy: The dual benefit for pregnant women and infants

H. Marshall*, M. McMillan, R. M. Andrews, K. Macartney, K. Edwards

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

64 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Maternal immunization has the potential to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in the pregnant woman and her infant. Many countries now recommend immunization against influenza at any stage of pregnancy and against pertussis in the third trimester. Despite evidence of the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines when administered during pregnancy, uptake generally remains low for influenza and moderate for pertussis vaccine. Enhancing confidence in both immunization providers and pregnant women by increasing the evidence-base for the safety and effectiveness of vaccines during pregnancy, improving communication and access by incorporating immunization into standard models of antenatal care are likely to improve uptake. Developing a framework for implementation of vaccines for pregnant women which is cognizant of local and national cultural, epidemiological, behavioral and societal factors will enable a smooth transition and high uptake for new vaccines currently in development for pregnant women.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)848-856
Number of pages9
JournalHuman Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Apr 2016
Externally publishedYes

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