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 Researchers examined data from trials of common travel vaccines and
found high quality evidence that two - the flu vaccine and the Tdap
vaccine (against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) - are safe for
pregnant women and their babies.
Beyond these two vaccines, researchers found moderate or low quality
evidence that there are no safety issues with several other common
travel vaccines: meningococcus; yellow fever; rubella; hepatitis A;
hepatitis B; rabies; and polio.
"Overwhelming evidence supports the safety of influenza and Tdap
vaccines during pregnancy," lead study author Dr. Roni Nasser of
Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, and colleagues write.
"It is likely that other vaccines, including the live attenuated
yellow fever, meningococcal, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and rabies
vaccines are also safe," Nasser and colleagues write. "For other
vaccines, such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), typhoid, polio,
Japanese encephalitis, and tick- borne encephalitis vaccines, no
safety data during pregnancy are available."
The flu and Tdap vaccines are both routinely recommended for
pregnant women, whether or not they travel, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ pregnancy/hcp-toolkit/guidelines.html
For many other routine vaccinations, women are advised to weigh the
potential benefits and harms of vaccinations and make a decision
with their doctors on a case-by-case basis, according to the CDC.
While women are also advised to weigh the risks and benefits of
pre-travel vaccines on a case-by-case basis, they may also want to
consider whether travel can be postponed to avoid the need for
vaccination as well as any potential side effects from vaccines, the
study authors note in the Journal of Travel Medicine.
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"Although our analyses of the existing data generally points to no
harm associated with vaccines, it is important to note that most
trips can be canceled or delayed," the authors advise.
"As such, during outbreaks of yellow fever, for example, travel of
pregnant women should be discouraged," the study team writes.
"Conversely, when exposure to a deadly infection such as yellow
fever is prolonged and unavoidable, vaccines should be used."
In public health emergencies, when exposure to diseases with
devastating consequences for pregnant women and their babies is
unavoidable, vaccines may be used even if the safety isn't clear for
pregnant women, the researchers note.
The World Health Organization, for example, advised use of a new
Ebola vaccine in pregnant women during recent outbreaks even though
there isn't any safety data available related to pregnancy, the
study authors point out.
Women generally can travel up until the last few weeks of pregnancy,
although women with certain complications like dangerously high
blood pressure or who are pregnant with multiples may be advised to
avoid travel.
The CDC currently recommends that pregnant women avoid travel to
areas with outbreaks of Zika, a mosquito-borne illness that can
cause serious birth defects, or where malaria, another
mosquito-borne illness that can harm babies, is common.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2XEoh21 Journal of Travel Medicine, online
October 16, 2019.
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