Protecting pregnant women and their newborn from life‐threatening infections

Marshall, Helen S; Amirthalingam, Gayatri

doi:10.5694/mja2.50174

Topics

Women's health

Infectious diseases

Pediatric medicine

Pertussis and influenza vaccinations should be incorporated into antenatal care and accurately documented

Vaccination of pregnant women protects them against influenza and pertussis, and also delivers protective antibody to their fetus, protecting infants when they are at the highest risk of life‐threatening disease but are too young to be vaccinated.1

1 Women's and Children's Health Network, Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide, SA
2 Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA
3 Public Health England, London, United Kingdom

Correspondence: helen.marshall@adelaide.edu.au

Competing interests:

Helen Marshall is an investigator in clinical vaccine trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, but receives no personal payments from these companies. Her institution receives funding for investigator‐led studies from GSK, Pfizer, and Sanofi–Pasteur. Helen Marshall is a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), but this Editorial reflects her personal views and not those of ATAGI.

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