Safety of Pertussis Vaccination During Pregnancy

The rising incidence of pertussis (including fatal cases in neonates) in 2011 led to recommendations by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to vaccinate pregnant women with tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) between 27 and 36 weeks' gestation. In the U.K., routine immunization with a quadrivalent product containing diphtheria, acellular pertussis, tetanus, and inactivated polio was introduced in October 2012. Now, British investigators have evaluated rates of adverse obstetric events in women who received the vaccine compared with unvaccinated historical controls (i.e., women who delivered 2 years before the vaccine's introduction).

Among 17,560 pregnant women who were followed for ≥28 days a…