Maternal Vaccination: Protecting Newborns and Infants from Birth

Maternal vaccination is an effective strategy for protect newborns and infants from birth and in the first months of life. Even more useful than immunizing the little ones. “Infants in the first 6 months of life have an inhibited immune response, so at this time they are more vulnerable to serious infections. If we vaccinate newborns, it will take up to 5 weeks for them to get antibody responses at adequate concentrations to protect themselves. However, maternal vaccination allows the newborn to have high concentrations of IgG from the moment of birth, so that vulnerable period is minimized,” he explained. Rosa Rodriguez, Head of the Pediatric Service of the General University Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid during the 9th edition of the Campus Vaccines training area, an initiative promoted by Pfizer within the framework of the 69th Congress of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP).

Vaccination of pregnant women increase the concentration of IgG antibodies against a specific pathogen and allows the transfer of these antibodies through the placenta to protect newborns and infants in the first months of life. Currently, in Spain, pregnant women can be vaccinated against inactivated flu, pertussis (whooping cough) and covid. “In general, it is recommended killed or inactivated vaccines and live vaccines such as MMR, varicella, BCG and live influenza are contraindicated”, he commented, adding that, in special circumstances, immunizing mothers against pneumococcus, meningococcus, yellow fever, cholera or rabies can be considered and that other maternal vaccines against Group B streptococcus, cytomegalovirus , malaria, Zika and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

According to the maternal vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the specialist highlighted that, when available, it will allow professionals to have a new strategy for the entire birth cohort for the prevention of RSVan infection that causes between 3 and 4 million hospitalizations of infants worldwide each year, and which represents a significant burden of disease for Pediatrics, both in Primary Care and at the hospital level and in Pediatric Emergencies, since it affects children very young who often need respiratory support, oxygen therapy and even admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Pneumococcal disease and meningitis

Another of the topics that has been dealt with in the training talks for professionals at Campus Vacunas has been that the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae o pneumococci –leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia of bacterial origin – represents an important public health challenge due to high morbidity and mortality rates in population at risk, such as children under 5 years of age and adults over 65 years of age.

“The impact of vaccination against pneumococcal disease with the 7-valent and 13-valent conjugate vaccines, since their introduction in the schedules more than 15 years ago, has been very significant in reducing the incidence of this disease. However, in recent years there has been an increase in cases due to serotypes not included in these vaccines,” he explained. Maria Garces-Sanchez, pediatrician at the Nazareth Health Center in Valencia and member of the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (CAV-AEP), who added that “there are investigational vaccines that offer coverage against a greater number of circulating serotypes not included in current vaccinations and they are expected to contribute to reducing the incidence of pneumococcal disease in children.”

Finally, in relation to the meningococcal disease, Garcés-Sánchez recalled that it is still a devastating disease, although its incidence is low and existing vaccines have shown their efficacy. For this reason, he stressed the need to directly protect both infants and adolescents against all the serogroups that cause this disease that commonly circulate in Spain.