accination during pregnancy may help support the health of pregnant women, who have a higher risk of getting sick and facing severe disease outcomes if they become ill, as well as their children, experts have said.
Unlike non-pregnant individuals, pregnant women often cannot access certain treatments and diagnostic options. Maternal immunization helps fill that gap by providing protection for mothers during pregnancy.
The vaccination can also help protect newborns and young infants who are highly susceptible to infection and other disease, said public health researcher Molly Sauer of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“In the first weeks and months of life, a baby’s immune system is still developing and not yet mature. It leaves them at high risk of serious illnesses such as RSV,” Sauer said during a webinar to celebrate World Immunization Week from April 24 to 30 on April 21.
RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is a common, contagious virus that causes mild, cold-like respiratory symptoms. Although most people recover within one to two weeks, the virus can cause severe disease in infants, young children and older adults, often leading to pneumonia or bronchitis.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
She added that mothers pass antibodies from immunization to their children through the placenta and breast milk, providing early protection for the newborns.
