Vaccination (Tdap) in pregnant women
Recommendations for tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccination (Tdap) in pregnant women.
The Centers for Disease Control recently updated their recommendations for tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccination (Tdap) in pregnant women. But what do the recommendations say and what do you as a clinician need to know? A physician recently inquired about these recommendations on the OBGYN.net forum.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made the recommendation to move administration to the late second trimester or third trimester rather than immediately after delivery in women who have not been previously vaccinated.1 The ACIP originally recommended in 2008 that the maternal dose be given in the immediate postpartum period. However, by moving the administration to the end of the pregnancy (after 20 weeks gestation), the fetus is protected against pertussis indirectly through transplacental antibodies and the mother receives the protection directly and sooner. Infants younger than 12 months of age have substantially higher rates of pertussis and the largest burden of pertussis-related deaths.
Although the CDC recommends all adults who anticipate close contact with children younger than 12 months receive the vaccination as part of cocooning strategy, it has been found to be not sufficient. At the time of the ACIP recommendations, committee member Dr Mark Sawyer, of the University of California San Diego, noted it is difficult to… continue reading
Looking for obgyn in Knoxville? Contact us today for more information.