Abstract
Immunization during pregnancy has the potential to protect the mother and the newborn from preventable diseases. Current recommendations suggest that inactivated vaccines might be considered during pregnancy when the benefits outweigh the risks.
In this review, we aimed to evaluate the safety of hepatitis B (HB) vaccine, pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) and meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV) administration during pregnancy by systematically reviewing the available evidence in PubMed and Scopus databases, as well as postmarketing surveillance data (including the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System [VAERS] database). A total of 18 studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Six studies provided data on HB vaccine, six on PPSV and three on MPSV; three additional studies compared PPSV with MPSV. Additionally, 91 reports on vaccinations of pregnant women were identified from postmarketing surveillance data (88 on HB vaccine, 2 on PPSV, 1 on MPSV). The most common complaints were local reactions, including tenderness and swelling. Overall, immunization during pregnancy did not seem to be associated with a teratogenic effect on the fetus, preterm labour or spontaneous abortion. However, the lack of randomized, placebo-controlled trials, or even large cohort studies, in addition to the inherent limitations of the reviewed observational studies with small statistical power, precluded safe conclusions. Large, prospective, population-based cohort studies are needed to elucidate this issue.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gruslin A, Steben M, Halperin S, et al. Immunization in pregnancy: no. 220, December 2008. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2009; 105: 187–91
Munoz FM, Englund JA. Vaccines in pregnancy. Infect Dis Clin North Am 2001; 15: 253–71
Falagas ME, Vouloumanou EK, Baskouta E, et al. Treatment options for 2009 H1N1 influenza: evaluation of the published evidence. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2010; 35: 421–30
Siston AM, Rasmussen SA, Honein MA, et al. Pandemic 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus illness among pregnant women in the United States. JAMA 2010; 303: 1517–25
Louie JK, Acosta M, Jamieson DJ, et al. Severe 2009 H 1N1 influenza in pregnant and postpartum women in California. California Pandemic (H1N1) Working Group. N Engl J Med 2010; 362: 27–35
Fischer GW, Ottolini MG, Mond JJ. Prospects for vaccines during pregnancy and in the newborn period. Clin Perinatol 1997; 24: 231–49
Gruber MF. Maternal immunization: US FDA regulatory considerations. Vaccine 2003; 21: 3487–91
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Guidelines for vaccinating pregnant women: from recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). October 1998 (updated May 2007) [online]. Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/downloads/b_preg_guide.pdf [Accessed 2011 Oct 6]
Mak TK, Mangtani P, Leese J, et al. Influenza vaccination in pregnancy: current evidence and selected national policies. Lancet Infect Dis 2008; 8: 44–52
Skowronski DM, De Serres G. Is routine influenza immunization warranted in early pregnancy? Vaccine 2009; 27: 4754–70
Tamma PD, Ault KA, del Rio C, et al. Safety of influenza vaccination during pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009; 201: 547–52
Murphy TV, Slade BA, Broder KR, et al. Prevention of pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria among pregnant and postpartum women and their infants recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR Recomm Rep 2008; 57: 1–51
Czeizel AE, Rockenbauer M. Tetanus toxoid and congenital abnormalities. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 1999; 64: 253–8
Silveira CM, Cáceres VM, Dutra MG, et al. Safety of tetanus toxoid in pregnant women: a hospital-based case-control study of congenital anomalies. Bull World Health Organ 1995; 73: 605–8
Toovey S. Preventing rabies with the Verorab vaccine: 1985–2005. Twenty years of clinical experience. Travel Med Infect Dis 2007; 5: 327–48
Chabala S, Williams M, Amenta R, et al. Confirmed rabies exposure during pregnancy: treatment with human rabies immune globulin and human diploid cell vaccine. Am J Med 1991; 91: 423–4
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) [online]. Available from URL: http://vaers.hhs.gov. [Accessed 2011 Oct 13]
US FDA. List of pregnancy exposure registries [online]. Available from URL: http://www.fda.gov/scienceresearch/specialtopics/womenshealthresearch/ucm134848.htm [Accessed 2011 Oct 13]
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The Vaccines and Medications in Pregnancy Surveillance System (VAMPSS) [online]. Available from URL: http://www.aaaai.org/about-the-aaaai/strategic-relationships/vampss.aspx#CompDatabases [Accessed 2011 Oct 13]
Merck pregnancy registries [online]. Available from URL: http://www.merckpregnancyregistries.com [Accessed 2011 Oct 13]
Ingardia CJ, Kelley L, Lerer T, et al. Correlation of maternal and fetal hepatitis B antibody titers following maternal vaccination in pregnancy. Am J Perinatol 1999; 16: 129–32
Ingardia CJ, Kelley L, Steinfeld JD, et al. Hepatitis B vaccination in pregnancy: factors influencing efficacy. Obstet Gynecol 1999; 93: 983–6
Vincent-Ballereau F, Fortier B, Armand J, et al. Pneumococcal vaccination of the pregnant woman in Africa and passive immunity of the child: immunologic control by the ELISA method. Pathol Biol (Paris) 1985; 33: 764–7
de Andrade Carvalho A, Giampaglia CM, Kimura H, et al. Maternal and infant antibody response to meningococcal vaccination in pregnancy. Lancet 1977 15; 2: 809–11
D’Acremont V, Tremblay S, Genton B. Impact of vaccines given during pregnancy on the offspring of women consulting a travel clinic: a longitudinal study. J Travel Med 2008; 15: 77–81
Orozova-Bekkevold I, Jensen H, Stensballe L, et al. Maternal vaccination and preterm birth: using data mining as a screening tool. Pharm World Sci 2007; 29: 205–12
Almeida Vde C, Negrini BV, Cervi MC, et al. Pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage among infants born to human immunodeficiency virus-infected mothers immunized with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during gestation. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2011; 30: 466–70
Deubzer HE, Obaro SK, Newman VO, et al. Colostrum obtained from women vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine during pregnancy inhibits epithelial adhesion of Streptococcus pneumoniae. J Infect Dis 2004; 190: 1758–61
Quiambao BP, Nohynek H, Käyhty H, et al. Maternal immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in the Philippines. Vaccine 2003; 21(24): 3451–4
O’Dempsey TJ, McArdle T, Ceesay SJ, et al. Meningococcal antibody titres in infants of women immunised with meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine during pregnancy. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1996; 74: F43–6
Shahid NS, Steinhoff MC, Hoque SS, et al. Serum, breast milk, and infant antibody after maternal immunisation with pneumococcal vaccine. Lancet 1995; 346: 1252–7
Gupta I, Ratho RK. Immunogenicity and safety of two schedules of hepatitis B vaccination during pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2003; 29: 84–6
Sheffield JS, Hickman A, Tang J, et al. Efficacy of an accelerated hepatitis B vaccination program during pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2011; 117: 1130–5
Grosheide PM, Schalm SW, van Os HC, et al. Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in pregnant women receiving post-exposure prophylaxis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 1993; 50: 53–8
Ayoola EA, Johnson AO. Hepatitis B vaccine in pregnancy: immunogenicity, safety and transfer of antibodies to infants. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 1987; 25: 297–301
Levy M, Koren G. Hepatitis B vaccine in pregnancy: maternal and fetal safety. Am J Perinatol 1991; 8: 227–32
Reddy PA, Gupta I, Ganguly NK. Hepatitis-B vaccination in pregnancy: safety and immunogenic response in mothers and antibody transfer to neonates. Asia Oceania J Obstet Gynaecol 1994; 20: 361–5
Almeida Vde C, Mussi-Pinhata MM, De Souza CB, et al. Immunogenicity of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in HIV-infected pregnant women and kinetics of passively acquired antibodies in young infants. Vaccine 2009; 27: 3856–61
Lehmann D, Pomat WS, Combs B, et al. Maternal immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Vaccine 2002; 20: 1837–45
Riley ID, Douglas RM. An epidemiologic approach to pneumococcal disease. Rev Infect Dis 1981; 3: 233–45
Lopes CR, Berezin EN, Ching TH, et al. Ineffectiveness for infants of immunization of mothers with pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine during pregnancy. Braz J Infect Dis 2009; 13: 104–6
Quiambao BP, Nohynek HM, Käyhty H, et al. Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine among pregnant Filipino women and placental transfer of antibodies. Vaccine 2007; 25: 4470–7
Munoz FM, Englund JA, Cheesman CC, et al. Maternal immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in the third trimester of gestation. Vaccine 2001; 20: 826–37
Shahid NS, Steinhoff MC, Roy E, et al. Placental and breast transfer of antibodies after maternal immunization with polysaccharide meningococcal vaccine: a randomized, controlled evaluation. Vaccine 2002; 20: 2404–9
O’Dempsey TJ, McArdle T, Ceesay SJ, et al. Immunization with a pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine during pregnancy. Vaccine 1996; 14: 963–70
Obaro SK, Deubzer HE, Newman VO, et al. Serotype-specific pneumococcal antibodies in breast milk of Gambian women immunized with a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during pregnancy. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2004; 23: 1023–9
McCormick JB, Gusmão HH, Nakamura S, et al. Antibody response to serogroup A and C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines in infants born of mothers vaccinated during pregnancy. J Clin Invest 1980; 65: 1141–4
Letson GW, Little JR, Ottman J, et al. Meningococcal vaccine in pregnancy: an assessment of infant risk. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1998; 17: 261–3
Adam I, Abdalla MA. Is meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine safe during pregnancy? Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2005; 99: 627–8
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG practice bulletin no. 86: viral hepatitis in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 2007; 110: 941–56
Memish ZA, Goubeaud A, Bröker M, et al. Invasive meningococcal disease and travel. J Infect Public Health 2010; 3: 143–51
Stanton C, Lawn JE, Rahman H, et al. Stillbirth rates: delivering estimates in 190 countries. Lancet 2006; 367: 1487–94
Heinonen OP, Slone D, Shapiro S. Immunizing agents. In: Kaufman DW, editor. Birth defects and drugs in pregnancy. Littleton (MA): Publishing Sciences Group, 1977: 314–21
National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). Thimerosal: updated statement. An Advisory Committee Statement (ACS). Can Commun Dis Rep 2007; 33 (ACS-6): 1–13
Price CS, Thompson WW, Goodson B, et al. Prenatal and infant exposure to thimerosal from vaccines and immunoglobulins and risk of autism. Pediatrics 2010; 126: 656–64
Marques RC, Dórea JG, Bernardi JV. Thimerosal exposure (from tetanus-diphtheria vaccine) during pregnancy and neurodevelopment of breastfed infants at 6 months. Acta Paediatr 2010; 99: 934–9
Thompson WW, Price C, Goodson B, et al. Early thimerosal exposure and neuropsychological outcomes at 7 to 10 years. N Engl J Med 2007; 357: 1281–92
Power ML, Leddy MA, Anderson BL, et al. Obstetrician-gynecologists’ practices and perceived knowledge regarding immunization. Am J Prev Med 2009; 37: 231–4
Acknowledgements
No sources of funding were used to prepare this manuscript. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this review.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Makris, M.C., Polyzos, K.A., Mavros, M.N. et al. Safety of Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal Polysaccharide and Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccines in Pregnancy. Drug Saf 35, 1–14 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2165/11595670-000000000-00000
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/11595670-000000000-00000