Flu and Pertussis Vaccination During Pregnancy Is Effective, yet Coverage Remains Too Low

Given that a substantial proportion of flu and pertussis cases, hospitalizations, and deaths occur before infants can be effectively vaccinated, the CDC surveyed reproductive-aged women (range, 15–44) from 2010 through 2018 to ascertain whether they were offered — and received — vaccination against these two pathogens. During that period, pregnant women comprised up to one third of flu-related hospitalizations among those of reproductive age. Among infants younger than 6 months, 133 per 100,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths due to influenza occurred. In those younger than 12 months, >27,000 cases of pertussis occurred. Although 34% of pertussis cases involved infants younger than 2 months, 51% of pertussis-related hospitalizations and 69%…