Vaccinating pregnant women against respiratory diseases:
No more hesitation1
Press release from the French academy of medicine
May 22, 2025
Vaccination during pregnancy is essential for the protection of both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Prenatal vaccination protects the infant during the first months of life through antibodies produced by the mother and transmitted before birth.
According to the French National Authority for Health, three vaccines must be offered to pregnant women during each pregnancy: against whooping cough, influenza, and COVID-19. When pregnancy occurs in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is an alternative that avoids vaccinating the newborn [1].
Indeed, the consequences of these respiratory infections can be serious for the mother and her unborn child, as they are often severe in pregnant women and can lead to a premature delivery and an equally severe infection in the newborn.
Although the efficacy and safety of all these vaccines are well established in pregnant women and newborns, the corresponding vaccination rates remain very insufficient in France, around 20 to 30% for influenza and 63% for whooping cough [2]. There are also significant disparities according to social class and region, particularly in the West Indies and French Guiana, where coverage rates are extremely low [3].
However, while the majority of pregnant women and healthcare professionals say they are in favor of vaccination [4], the main reason for not getting vaccinated is the lack of any offer or prescription. Currently, no consultation is specifically dedicated to vaccination during pregnancy monitoring, and vaccination depends on the motivation of the doctor or midwife. It is therefore often postponed or forgotten. Some women also express concern about adverse effects on the baby, or report a lack of knowledge about the disease or a persistent mistrust for vaccines.
Faced with this observation, measures to improve vaccination coverage among pregnant women are imperative, with three priority targets: health officials, healthcare professionals, and future parents.
The French Academy of Medicine therefore recalls that the vaccination of pregnant women is a public health priority and recommends:
– To formally include vaccinations against whooping cough, influenza, Covid-19, and RSV in prenatal follow up. Health insurance should send every pregnant woman, upon receipt of the pregnancy declaration, vaccination vouchers with 100% coverage, along with appropriate and understandable information.
– To make these vaccinations accessible in all pregnancy care settings (maternity wards, doctors’ and midwives’ offices, maternal and child health services, pharmacies). All these locations must therefore be approved as vaccination centers and able to use the digital vaccination record.
– To train and mobilize healthcare professionals involved in the care of pregnant women, by strengthening and updating their knowledge and their ability to communicate about vaccines during pregnancy.
– To develop vaccine research by including pregnancy in clinical trials (combination of valences2, optimization of the vaccination term, etc.) and by promoting the development and availability of new specific vaccines (cytomegalovirus, herpes, streptococcus B, etc.).
– To analyze the evolution of vaccination practices and coverage at the regional level, as well as the causes of non-vaccination among pregnant women.
References
– Haute Autorité de Santé, Vaccination recommendation against RSV infections in pregnant women, June 13, 2024. https://www.has sante.fr/jcms/p_3505344/fr/recommandation-vaccinale-contre-les-infections-a- vrs-chez-les-femmes-enceintes
– Bertrand M., Jabagi M.J., Zureik M., Vaccination against whooping cough for pregnant women whose pregnancy began between August 2023 and March 2024, in the context of the 2024 epidemic in France. Epi-Phare report, November 14, 2024. https://www.epi-phare.fr/rapports-detudes-et-publications/vaccination-coqueluche-femmes-entreprises/
– Raude J., Vaccine hesitancy: some insights from social and psychological sciences. Bull Acad Natl Med, 2016; 200(2):199-209. 4. IPSOS, 4 out of 10 women are vaccinated during their pregnancy 2023. https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/
– IPSOS, 4 femmes-sur-10-se-font-vacciner-pendant-leur-grossesse 2023. https://www.ipsos.com/fr-fr/4-femmes-sur-10-se-font-vacciner-pendant-leur-grossesse.
– Cubizolles C., Barjat T., Chauleur C. et al. Evaluation of intentions to get vaccinated against influenza, COVID 19, pertussis and to get a future vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus in pregnant women. Vaccine, 2023; 41(49):7342-7.
[1] Press release from the Academy’s Rapid Communication Platform
[2] Vaccine valence is the part of a vaccine that provides protection against a single infectious agent. A multivalent vaccine can protect against several infectious agents causing the same disease (such as the 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine) or against infectious agents causing different diseases (such as the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine).
PRESS CONTACT: Virginie Gustin +33 (0)6 62 52 43 42 virginie.gustin@academie-medecine.fr ACADÉMIE NATIONALE DE MÉDECINE, 16 rue Bonaparte – 75272 Paris cedex 06 Site : www.academie-medecine.fr / Twitter : @Acadmed
Bull Acad Natl Med 2025;209:918-9. Doi : 10.1016/j.banm.2025.06.008
