CDC: Tdap vaccinations in pregnant women up 50% since 2009

A recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showcases an increase in the number of pregnant women who opt to receive a tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis, or Tdap, vaccine.

The report highlights research from Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center found that in 2015, 51% of pregnant women in the control group of its Birth Defects Study received the Tdap vaccination — up from less than 1% who had done so before 2009. It noted that Tdap vaccination during pregnancy went from 5% in 2010 to 9% in 2012, with the 2012 number tripling to 28% in in 2013.

“Although approximately half of mothers who gave birth to control infants in the most recent year of the study received Tdap during pregnancy, this proportion remains far below the ACIP recommendation that all pregnant women be vaccinated during each pregnancy,” the report said. “Newborns at highest risk for pertussis-associated complications are too young to be vaccinated, but Tdap vaccination during pregnancy can reduce the potential for morbidity (9) and mortality in this vulnerable population.”

The study also highlighted the possibility to pharmacy to play more of a role in administering Tdap vaccines. According to the research, 96% of the Tdap vaccines were administered in a traditional healthcare setting, while 1% were given in the pharmacy/supermarket setting, with the remaining 3% receiving the vaccine in work or school settings, or government settings.