Improving vaccine uptake during pregnancy

Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is the latest addition to the immunisations offered during pregnancy in the UK by the NHS.1 Vaccines against influenza, pertussis, and covid-19 are already recommended, and these improve health outcomes for pregnant people and their babies. Unvaccinated pregnant women with influenza, for example, have a higher risk of severe disease, hospital admission, complications, and death than pregnant women who are vaccinated.2

And yet, despite the evidence for safety and the benefits of vaccination, vaccine uptake during pregnancy remains low in many parts of the UK. Uptake of pertussis vaccine, for example, is currently around 60%, with a large variation between integrated care boards (23% to 80%).3 Regional studies show that rates are particularly low among women from poorer backgrounds and from ethnic minorities; a study in London reported that uptake of covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy was 57% overall but only 37% in black women and 50% in women living in deprived areas.4 Similar …