MATERNAL VACCINATION

Infectious diseases remain one of the leading causes of morbidity in pregnant women and newborns. Maternal vaccination has become an important public health strategy to prevent maternal, fetal, and neonatal infections. This approach takes advantage of a natural biological phenomenon where antibodies are transferred from mother to fetus transplacentally, primarily in the second and third trimesters, and additionally through breast milk after birth, providing protection during the first few months of life before neonates can be vaccinated themselves. Currently, several safe and effective maternal vaccines are recommended universally: influenza, Covid-19, tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), with some additional in development. Other vaccines, like the ones against hepatitis A and B, pneumococcal diseases, meningococcal diseases, Japanese encephalitis (JE), rabies, typhus, cholera, and polio (IPV), have the potential to be used in risk populations or when there is a risk of fatal outcomes, while some remain contraindicated due to theoretical risks. Despite the scientific advantages and growing evidence supporting vaccination during pregnancy, significant gaps exist in our understanding of their efficacy and safety. Additionally, public acceptance of maternal vaccination has historically been low, presenting another challenge to implementation. There are still gaps in the understanding of maternal vaccination, leading to hesitancy, and effort should be made to fix them in order to achieve better health outcomes for mothers and their children.