Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Feb;49(2):493-509.
doi: 10.1111/jog.15503. Epub 2022 Nov 28.

Maternal vaccination-current status, challenges, and opportunities

Kentaro Kurasawa  1
Affiliations
Review

Maternal vaccination-current status, challenges, and opportunities

Kentaro Kurasawa. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Aim: Maternal vaccination is a promising strategy for protecting pregnant women and newborns against severe infections. This review aims to describe the current status and challenges associated with maternal vaccination against seasonal influenza, tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap/DTaP), and novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan and other countries, mainly the United States and the United Kingdom.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in PubMed and other public websites (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to obtain information on maternal vaccination.

Results: Inactivated vaccines are recommended for pregnant women by gynecologic societies in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Among pregnant Japanese women, the influenza and COVID-19 (two doses) vaccine coverage rates were 27.0%-53.5% (six studies) and 73.6% (one study), respectively; there are no studies on maternal vaccination with DTaP. Concerns regarding vaccine safety are a major barrier to maternal vaccination across countries. Maternal vaccination is effective in preventing severe disease in pregnant women and protecting infants aged <6 months, is generally safe, and does not increase the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Providing accurate information regarding vaccination through healthcare providers and the government and government funding for vaccines may help improve maternal vaccination rates in Japan.

Conclusion: Current coverage for maternal vaccination is still low globally mainly because of vaccine hesitancy among pregnant women. The government, drug-regulatory authorities, and healthcare professionals must educate pregnant women about the effectiveness and safety of maternal vaccines and encourage vaccination when the benefits outweigh the risks.

Keywords: COVID-19; effectiveness; maternal immunization; pertussis; safety.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Medical writing support was funded by Pfizer Japan.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Pregnancy Complications. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/pregnancy-co.... Accessed June 2, 2022
    1. Mertz D, Geraci J, Winkup J, Gessner BD, Ortiz JR, Loeb M. Pregnancy as a risk factor for severe outcomes from influenza virus infection: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies. Vaccine. 2017;35(4):521–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allotey J, Stallings E, Bonet M, Yap M, Chatterjee S, Kew T , et al. Clinical manifestations, risk factors, and maternal and perinatal outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy: living systematic review and meta‐analysis. BMJ. 2020;370:m3320. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . Vaccines against influenza: WHO position paper – May 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-wer9719. Accessed August 4, 2022
    1. Lambert N, Strebel P, Orenstein W, Icenogle J, Poland GA. Rubella. Lancet. 2015;385(9984):2297–307. - PMC - PubMed

Substances

Grants and funding