Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Tdap Vaccination Coverage During Pregnancy
MMWR; 2017 Oct 20; Kerr, Van Bennekom, et al
Approximately half of pregnant women who had a live birth in 2015 received tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, a recent study found; although coverage for pregnant women remains below the recommendation that every woman be vaccinated during each pregnancy. The Birth Defects Study of the Slone Epidemiology Center, which included pregnant women in New York and Massachusetts, as well as the areas surrounding Philadelphia, PA, and San Diego, CA, has recorded data on vaccinations received during pregnancy since 2006. Researchers found the following:
- Tdap vaccination coverage increased from <1% before 2010 to 28% in 2013, and reached 53% in 2015.
- Overall, 96% of Tdap vaccinations received by pregnant women in this study were administered in physician offices or clinics.
- The authors suggest that increasing vaccination coverage during pregnancy could help reduce the impact of pertussis on infant morbidity and mortality.
Kerr S, Van Bennekom CM, Liang JL, Mitchell AA. Tdap vaccination coverage during pregnancy—Selected sites, United States, 2006-2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66(41):1105-1108. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6641a3.
This Week's Must Reads
Must Reads in Vaccines
Vaccination for Prevention of Herpes Zoster, Ann Intern Med; ePub 2019 Feb 19; Prosser, et al
ACIP Updates Adult Immunization Schedule, Ann Intern Med; 2019 Feb 5; Kim, Hunter, et al
Influenza Vaccination Safety During Hospitalization, Mayo Clin Proc; ePub 2019 Jan 8; Tartof, et al
Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Is Safe & Effective, JAMA Pediatr; 2018 Nov; Wood, Nolan, et al
Influenza and Pertussis Vaccination in Pregnancy, Vaccine; ePub 2018 Nov 3; Wilcox, Bottrell, et al
Pertussis causes severe coughing in all age groups, is highly contagious, and has the highest mortality among newborns. Almost all pertussis-associated deaths occur in the first 2 months of life, and vaccination with pertussis vaccine during pregnancy protects the newborn infants. The recommendations for pertussis vaccination have evolved over the last 10 years. In 2006, vaccination was recommended for mothers postpartum. In 2011, the recommendations changed to recommend vaccination of previously unvaccinated pregnant women after 20 weeks’ gestation; In October 2012, the recommendation was expanded to include all pregnant women during every pregnancy, with the optimal time for vaccination being the third trimester. Vaccination rates have improved substantially with the uptake of the current recommendation and remain an important area for improvement. —Neil Skolnik, MD