As we celebrate World Health Day this year, the theme of "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Future" resonates deeply when it comes to protecting our youngest and most vulnerable populations.
One key aspect of achieving this goal is helping to ensure expectant individuals are vaccinated. Maternal immunization is a well-established public health approach to help protect newborns from infectious diseases.[1,2,3] Active immunization for pregnant individuals can help protect their newborns from diseases in the critical first months of life. This is achieved through the natural transfer of maternal antibodies from the mother's circulation to the developing fetus during pregnancy.
Maternal immunization has been used across the globe for decades to help protect from diseases such as neonatal tetanus and pertussis in early infancy, and more recently to help protect young infants against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).[1,2]
Since infants are at the highest risk of severe RSV[4] disease and complications during the first 6 months of life, maternal immunization provides an opportunity to help protect them against this disease.[5]
RSV is the most common respiratory viral pathogen among infants and young children in Canada, with one in five children requiring urgent medical attention due to complications like bronchiolitis or pneumonia.[6,7] Infants under 6 months of age are at the highest risk of severe RSV disease, which can lead to hospitalization or intensive care unit (ICU) admission.[4]
Pfizer colleague Alexandra recently personally experienced the significant impact of RSV. Last summer, her nephew Nathan contracted RSV at three months old, resulting in hospitalization for bronchiolitis. He spent two days in the intensive care unit on a ventilator and oxygen support before stabilizing enough to go home after five days.
“Mothers couldn't get vaccinated for RSV then, so Nathan missed out on maternal antibodies protection,“ stated Alexandra. "Nathan was a healthy infant, similar to most infants who are hospitalized for RSV."
This story highlights the critical need for maternal vaccination to protect infants like Nathan from the severe effects from infectious diseases such as RSV.
"Maternal vaccination is a powerful tool we have to give infants a healthy start and a hopeful future," says Dr. Ana Gabriela Grajales, Primary Care Medical Affairs Lead at Pfizer Canada. "By ensuring pregnant women are up-to-date on their vaccination, we can significantly reduce the burden of severe diseases in newborns and infants, setting them up for the best possible health outcomes."
This World Health Day, let's commit to prioritizing infant health by championing maternal vaccination. With healthy beginnings, we can look forward to a future filled with hope and possibility for the next generation. Parents and pregnant individuals should consult their health care professional for more information and explore available prevention options to protect their newborns and ensure their well-being.
Please visit World Health Day 2025 to find out how you can support World Health Day.
[1] Cinicola, Bianca, et al. The protective role of maternal immunization in early life. Frontiers in Pediatrics 9 (2021): 638871. https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8113393/. Reviewed September 29, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2025.
[2] National Health Service. Vaccinations in pregnancy. https://www. nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/vaccinations/. Reviewed January 18, 2023. Accessed March 12, 2025.
[3] Vojtek I, Dieussaert I, Doherty TM, et al. Maternal immunization: where are we now and how to move forward?. Ann Med. 2018;50(3):193-208.
[4] https://immunize.ca/sites/default/files/Resource%20and%20Product%20Uploads%20(PDFs)/Products%20and%20Resources/RSV/preventing_rsv_in_infants_web_e.pdf, Accessed April 1, 2025.
5] https://immunize.ca/sites/default/files/Resource%20and%20Product%20Uploads%20(PDFs)/Products%20and%20Resources/RSV/preventing_rsv_in_infants_web_e.pdf, Accessed March 27, 2025.
[6] CMAJ Open “Health care costs of hospitalization of young children for respiratory syncytial virus infections: a population-based matched cohort study.” October 2021. https://www.cmajopen.ca/content/9/4/E948, Accessed April 1, 2025.
[7] RSV in babies and children, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/rsv-in-babies-children, Accessed April 1, 2025.