"Very insufficient", risk of "severe" diseases... Alert on the lack of vaccination of pregnant women

The vaccination rate against respiratory diseases, particularly influenza and whooping cough, is insufficient among pregnant women, the Academy of Medicine regretted on Thursday, May 22, stressing that these infections can harm both the mother and the child .

"Although the efficacy and safety of all these vaccines are well established in pregnant women and newborns, the corresponding vaccination rates remain very insufficient in France," notes the Academy in a press release , an institution that aims to provide a consensus among the medical profession on a given subject. Against respiratory diseases, several vaccines should theoretically be offered to all pregnant women: whooping cough, Covid, and the flu.

Pfizer's Abrysvo vaccine against RSV, the main virus causing bronchiolitis in infants , can be added to this, although the recommendation is less systematic and depends on the time of year.

These recommendations are not being sufficiently implemented, according to the Academy of Medicine, which points out in particular that only 20% to 30% of pregnant women are vaccinated against the flu, and that a third are not vaccinated against whooping cough.

There are also "significant disparities according to social class and region, particularly in the Antilles and Guyana, where coverage rates are extremely low," she points out.

However, the diseases in question can harm both the mother and the child: "they are often severe in pregnant women, and can lead to premature delivery and equally severe infection in the newborn," the Academy points out.

As explanations for the insufficient vaccination, the institution cites the mistrust of certain pregnant women towards the vaccines in question, but above all the fact that these vaccines are not offered enough during medical monitoring of pregnancy .

"No consultation is currently specifically dedicated to vaccination during pregnancy monitoring, and the vaccination procedure depends on the motivation of the doctor or midwife," notes the Academy. "It is therefore often postponed or forgotten."

The institution is making several proposals. First, it would like the health insurance system to send, as soon as the pregnancy is announced, vouchers that allow for full reimbursement of the vaccines concerned, accompanied by "appropriate and understandable" information.

It also calls for vaccination to be made available in all places where a woman consults about her pregnancy: "maternity wards, doctor's and midwife's offices, maternal and child protection (PMI), pharmacies." The Academy also recommends better training for healthcare workers and an acceleration of clinical trials of vaccines for pregnant women, to better understand the specific effects during pregnancy.