PREGNANCY vaccination coverage in NSW has declined since the onset of the COVID pandemic, according to research by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), and reflects similar decreases in other states.
The research found a decline in pregnancy vaccination coverage for influenza from 59% in 2020 to 49% in 2022, and a smaller decrease in pertussis vaccination from 79% in 2020 to 77.6% in 2022.
Professor Bette Liu, Associate Director, Population Health at NCIRS, said that the "stalling pregnancy vaccine uptake, that has been seen not just in NSW but also in other jurisdictions, is a clear call to action".
"Every year influenza, pertussis and respiratory syncytial virus [RSV] cause a significant number of hospitalisations and occasionally death among infants," Professor Liu said.
"Vaccination against these diseases during pregnancy is strongly recommended to protect infants in their first months of life, when they are most vulnerable."
A new free RSV pregnancy vaccination program was recently announced (PD 20 Jan), meaning influenza, pertussis and RSV vaccines will now be routinely available for pregnant women.
The study used Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and NSW Perinatal Data Collection (PDC) linked data sources.
Researchers identified significant under-reporting of pregnancy vaccinations to the AIR compared with the perinatal dataset - despite the requirement to report all NIP-funded vaccines - which compromises the ability to maximise the impact of the RSV pregnancy vaccination program.
The preprint is available HERE. KB
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