Media Advisory

Note: ACIP’s recommendations will be forwarded to CDC’s Director for approval. If the ACIP recommendations are approved by the CDC Director, they will be published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and represent the official CDC recommendations for immunizations in the U.S.; until then, they are considered provisional.

CDC Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices Recommends Tdap Immunization for Pregnant Women

The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted today 14 to 0, with one abstention, to recommend that providers of prenatal care implement a Tdap immunization program for all pregnant women.  Health-care personnel should administer a dose of Tdap during each pregnancy irrespective of the patient’s prior history of receiving Tdap.  If not administered during pregnancy, Tdap should be administered immediately postpartum.

This builds upon a previous recommendation made by ACIP in June 2011 to administer Tdap during pregnancy only to women who have not previously received Tdap. By getting Tdap during pregnancy, maternal pertussis antibodies transfer to the newborn, likely providing protection against pertussis in early life, before the baby starts getting DTaP vaccines. Tdap will also protect the mother at time of delivery, making her less likely to transmit pertussis to her infant. If not vaccinated during pregnancy, Tdap should be given immediately postpartum, before leaving the hospital or birthing center.

The U.S. remains on track to have the most reported pertussis cases since 1959, with more than 32,000 cases already reported along with 16 deaths, the majority of which are in infants.

For more information, contact CDC News Media at 404-639-3286.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES