Influenza and pertussis vaccine coverage in pregnancy in Australia, 2016–2021

• Published in: Medical journal of Australia 2023-06, Vol.218 (11), p.528-541
• Main Authors: McRae, Jocelynne E, McHugh, Lisa, King, Catherine, Beard, Frank H, Blyth, Christopher C, Danchin, Margie H, Giles, Michelle L, Mohammed, Hassen, Wood, Nicholas, Macartney, Kristine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Female; Humans; Infant; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - therapeutic use; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Maternal health; Pertussis; Pertussis Vaccine; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - prevention & control; Pregnant Women; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vaccination; Vaccination register; Vaccines; Victoria; Whooping Cough - epidemiology; Whooping Cough - prevention & control
• ISSN: 0025-729X; 1326-5377
• DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51989

Summary Vaccination in pregnancy is the best strategy to reduce complications from influenza or pertussis infection in infants who are too young to be protected directly from vaccination. Pregnant women are also at risk of influenza complications preventable through antenatal vaccination. Both vaccines are funded under the National Immunisation Program for pregnant women in Australia, but coverage is not routinely reported nationally. We reviewed all reported Australian maternal influenza and pertussis vaccine coverage data for the period 2016–2021, to identify gaps and information needs. Maternal influenza vaccine coverage was suboptimal at  70%, with the highest jurisdictional coverage of 89% reported in Western Australia in 2020. Vaccination rates were often suboptimal among First Nations pregnant women and up to 20% lower than among non‐First Nations Australian women; while data were limited, coverage was low among culturally and linguistically diverse women and among women of lower socio‐economic status. Jurisdictional perinatal data collections were the best source of information on antenatal vaccine coverage but were only available for a minority of the population; a nationally consistent systematic approach is lacking. Timely and comprehensive data are needed to provide feedback to improve maternal vaccination coverage, particularly among groups with higher risk and/or low uptake, and as new vaccines are recommended, including COVID‐19 vaccination.