The administration of pertussis vaccine to pregnant women was associated with a small increased risk of chorioamnionitis, but not an increased risk of hypertensive disorders or preterm birth

Commentary on: Kharbanda EO, Vazquez-Benitez G, Lipkind HS, et al. Evaluation of the association of maternal pertussis vaccination with obstetric events and birth outcomes. JAMA 2014;312:1897–904. Context Bordetella pertussis causes pertussis (whooping cough), which can be a life-threatening disease particularly in the first 3 months of life. There has been a recent upsurge in pertussis in infancy for reasons that are not entirely understood. One element of the public health response has been the introduction of pertussis vaccination for pregnant women. A recent UK report suggests that this strategy is highly effective.1 The safety of this approach has been endorsed by the WHO and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) (the regulatory body in the UK).2 3 When a vaccine is used to prevent disease, small risks of harm to vaccine recipients become significant, because many healthy individuals may be...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Epidemiologic studies, Vaccination programs, Immunology (including allergy), Influenza, Vaccination / immunisation, Pregnancy Aetiology/Harm Source Type: research