Maternal Immunization Task Force for Pregnant Women: A Call to Action

Fam Pract Manag. 2020 Sep-Oct;27(5):5-8.

INTRODUCTION

Immunizations are an essential part of prenatal care, offering critical protection to women and their fetuses against potentially deadly diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that women who are pregnant receive an inactivated influenza and a tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in every pregnancy.1 The American Academy of Family Physicians; American College of Nurse-Midwives; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses strongly support this recommendation. As professional organizations whose members care for pregnant women, we affirm the importance of recommending and advocating that pregnant women receive all recommended vaccines at the appropriate time during each pregnancy. The current increase in hesitancy about the safety and efficacy of vaccines has created an environment that calls for our urgent commitment to discussing the evidence-based benefits of vaccination with pregnant women.

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