Flu, Tdap Vaccination Safe During Pregnancy

Vaccination during pregnancy is not associated with infant hospitalization or mortality during the first 6 months of life, a new study showed.

These findings validate current recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for women to receive the influenza and tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines during pregnancy.
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For their study, the researchers assessed 413,034 live births in the Vaccine Safety Datalink between 2004 and 2014. Patients were matched with controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for maternal exposure to influenza and/or Tdap vaccines during pregnancy.

In this cohort, the researchers recorded 25,222 infant hospitalizations and 157 infant deaths within the first 6 months of life. Ultimately, they observed no association between infant hospitalization and maternal influenza vaccinations (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.00) or Tdap vaccinations (aOR 0.94).

Furthermore, they did not find any associations between infant mortality and maternal influenza vaccinations (aOR 0.96) or Tdap vaccinations (aOR 0.44).

“We found no association between vaccination during pregnancy and risk of infant hospitalization or death in the first 6 months of life,” the researchers concluded. “These findings support the safety of current recommendations for influenza and Tdap vaccination during pregnancy.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Sukumaran L, McCarthy NL, Kharbanda EO, et al. Infant hospitalizations and mortality after maternal vaccination [Published online February 20, 2018]. Pediatrics. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3310.