Vaccinations before, during and after pregnancy protects mothers and their babies from harmful disease.
Vaccination during pregnancy protects the mother and generates antibodies that can cross the placenta. This provides protection to the unborn baby and immunity that may persist for several months after birth, which is important for preventing diseases such as pertussis in infants too young to be vaccinated.
The Australian Immunisation Handbook (external site), provides complete guidance for vaccination for women who are planning pregnancy, are pregnant or are breastfeeding.
- Immunisation against pertussis, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is strongly recommended during pregnancy to protect your patient and their babies against these serious infections.
- Other inactivated vaccines are not routinely recommended during pregnancy but may be considered in special circumstances.
- Women planning pregnancy should have their vaccination needs assessed as part of any pre-conception health check.
- Live attenuated vaccines are not to be given during pregnancy.
For more information:
Pertussis (whooping cough) immunisation
Pertussis-containing (dTpa) vaccine is recommended as a single dose during the second or third trimester of each pregnancy, including pregnancies which are closely spaced (e.g. <2 years). The optimal time to vaccinate antenatal patients with dTpa is between mid-second trimester and early third trimester of each pregnancy (ideally at 20 and 32 weeks).
More information can be found at the Australian Immunisation Handbook, Pertussis chapter (external site).
Why is it important to be vaccinated against pertussis?
Pertussis vaccination in pregnancy works in 2 ways:
- It helps protect the mother – Pertussis vaccine reduces the risk of the pregnant person catching whooping cough and passing it to their newborn baby. Parents are a common source of whooping cough infection for children under 12 months old.
- It helps protect the baby – Babies born to mothers who have had a pertussis vaccine in pregnancy have higher levels of antibodies against the disease than babies whose mothers were not vaccinated. This is because the antibodies made by the mother in response to the vaccine are passed to the baby across the placenta soon after vaccination and until delivery. The mother's antibodies can help protect the newborn during the first months of life, when infants are most vulnerable to severe pertussis infection and are still too young to be vaccinated.
Is the pertussis vaccine safe in pregnancy?
The pertussis vaccine has been routinely used in pregnant women in the UK and the US since 2012, and careful vaccine monitoring indicates it is safe for pregnant people and their unborn babies.
In addition, large studies from the US and the UK examining birth outcomes following pertussis vaccination during pregnancy have found no evidence of increased risk of stillbirth, premature birth, neonatal death, foetal distress, caesarean delivery or low birth weight.
Influenza immunisation
Pregnant people who get sick from influenza are at much higher risk of respiratory complications than other healthy adults and are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital.
Influenza can cause serious complications in pregnant people and can affect the unborn baby. Changes to heart and lung immunity functions during pregnancy increase vulnerability to severe influenza-related complications. Immunisation during pregnancy is the only way to protect infants younger than 6 months, as they are too young to receive the influenza vaccination.
The influenza vaccine is recommended for every pregnancy and may be administered at any stage of gestation.
Learn more about influenza immunisation and refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook, Influenza chapter (external site).
RSV immunisation
RSV vaccination is offered to pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation, in every pregnancy, to protect infants from birth up to 6 months. The RSV vaccine can be safely administrated at the same time as other routine antenatal vaccines. Learn more about RSV immunisation and refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook RSV chapter (external site).
COVID-19 immunisation
Pregnant people have a higher risk of severe illness if they are infected with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant people. There is also an increased risk of complications for the baby during pregnancy.
Further information is available from:
Learn more about COVID-19 immunisation.
Antenatal fact sheets
Please share these fact sheets with your antenatal patients to assist with obtaining informed consent and/or sign the Antenatal Immunisation Consent Form (PDF 296KB). These fact sheets contain information on the vaccines and the diseases they offer protection against.
Consent
Written consent is not required to administer the vaccine(s). As with all medical interventions, it is important to obtain appropriate informed consent. You are advised to talk to your patients about the vaccination before administering it. Learn more about Immunisation Provider Information and Resources.
You may choose to use the
Antenatal Immunisation Consent Form and relevant fact sheets to support your practice. WA Department of Health no longer requires completed forms to be sent to the Communicable Disease Control Directorate, please store them as per your organisational requirements
Last reviewed: 07-04-2026
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