Pertussis vaccination in pregnancy is safe, study finds

Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women in the U.S. as the key medical intervention to protect newborn infants from pertussis (whooping cough). However, the safety of giving the Tdap vaccine to pregnant women has not been fully determined. According to a study published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, the Tdap vaccine is safe for both mothers and infants. A team of University of Texas researchers analyzed health outcomes of 1,759 births and compared cases in which the mother was immunized with the Tdap vaccine (n = 1,109) to those where the mother was not vaccinated with this vaccine (n = 650). “We took advantage of electronic medical records to look at the health of a large number of women and their infants, many more than some previous studies. We also examined more health outcomes than previous studies and were able to thoroughly check women’s medical records,” says the lead...