The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says vaccines administered during pregnancy can help prevent serious illness in women and protect newborns during their first months of life.
But it notes that maternal vaccination coverage remains uneven across the Americas, including the Caribbean, underscoring the need to expand access to recommended vaccines and strengthen vaccination efforts during pregnancyAn estimated 47 per cent of deaths among children worldwide occur during the neonatal period, the first 28 days of life. Many of these deaths are associated with infections that can be prevented through maternal immunization, including pertussis (whooping cough), neonatal tetanus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
‘Vaccination during pregnancy is one of the safest and most cost-effective public health interventions available. It protects pregnant women while also providing newborns with valuable protection during their first months of life,’ said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO.
‘Ensuring timely access to recommended vaccines, together with clear and reliable information, is key to expanding these benefits and helping give every child the best possible start in life.’
Experts participating in a regional webinar organized by PAHO, noted that maternal immunisation provides dual benefits. They say it helps protect pregnant women against potentially serious infections while also enabling the transfer of protective antibodies to infants before birth, providing them with protection during a stage when they are still too young to receive some recommended vaccines.
Maternal vaccination also contributes to reducing illness and deaths associated with diseases such as influenza, tetanus, pertussis, and RSV.
PAHO said recommended vaccines during pregnancy vary according to national immunization policies.
Across the Americas, maternal vaccination against influenza, pertussis, and COVID-19 is part of routine immunization strategies, while RSV vaccination during pregnancy has been progressively introduced in a growing number of countries.
In certain circumstances, additional vaccines may also be recommended during pregnancy, including those against hepatitis B, hepatitis A, yellow fever, polio, rabies, and meningococcal disease, depending on individual risk factors and the epidemiological context.
Despite important progress, challenges remain. In 2025, half of the countries in the Americas that reported data recorded influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women of 61 per cent or less.
For vaccines protecting against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, half of reporting countries recorded coverage levels of 77.3 per cent or less. These figures reflect variations in coverage across countries and, in some cases, challenges related to data availability and reporting.
These gaps highlight opportunities to further strengthen protection for two particularly vulnerable populations: pregnant women and newborns.
At the same time, countries across the region have continued to expand the tools available to protect mothers and infants. Currently, 11 countries are using maternal RSV vaccination to help prevent severe respiratory infections among infants during their first months of life.
‘Strengthening maternal immunization requires integrating vaccination into routine prenatal care, supporting health workers in making strong vaccine recommendations, and ensuring that women receive clear, evidence-based information to make informed decisions,’ said Dr. Daniel Salas, Executive Manager of PAHO’s Special Programme on Comprehensive Immunization.
The webinar also highlighted the importance of strengthening information systems to record and monitor vaccination during pregnancy. Limited integration between immunization registries and medical records can result in missed vaccination opportunities, difficulties in tracking vaccination status, and challenges in assessing program performance.
In this context, PAHO said it is promoting tools such as the Perinatal Information System (SIP Plus), which supports the recording, identification, sharing, and monitoring of information on maternal vaccination and contributes to more integrated care for pregnant women and newborns.