Vaccine manufacturers should produce a pertussis only vaccine for use in pregnancy

In their article on increasing maternal vaccination rates against whooping cough, Razai and colleagues say, “‘Vaccine hesitancy’ is defined as the ‘delay in acceptance or refusal of safe vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services.’ It stems from complex cultural and context specific factors that vary by time, place, and vaccine type, influenced by issues such as confidence, communication, complacency, convenience, and sociodemographic contexts.”1Without questioning the value of maternal vaccination against pertussis, surely pregnant women do not wish to be exposed to unnecessary antigens.The only pertussis vaccine currently available in the UK is the combined tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, and polio containing vaccine (Boostrix-IPV). Apart from pertussis, none of the other components are necessary during pregnancy. Why would a pregnant woman want to be injected with those products? Are they totally risk free?Timely confirmation of this concern is contained in a recent memo2 from the UK Health Security Agency, pointing out…
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