title: Strategies To Boost Maternal Immunization To Achieve Further Gains In Improved Maternal And Newborn Health.
abstract: Despite the indisputable successes of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which include goals on improving maternal health and reducing child mortality, millions of mothers and newborns still die tragically and unnecessarily each year. Many of these deaths result from vaccine-preventable diseases, since obstacles such as cost and accessibility have hampered efforts to deliver efficacious vaccines to those most in need. Additionally, many vaccines given to mothers and children under age five are not suitable for newborns, since their maturing immune systems do not respond optimally during the first few months of life. Maternal immunization-the process by which a pregnant woman's immune system is fortified against a particular disease and the protection is then transferred to her unborn child-has emerged as a strategy to prevent many unnecessary maternal and newborn deaths. We review vaccines that are already used for maternal immunization, analyze vaccines under development that could be used for maternal immunization strategies in the future, and recommend that policy makers use maternal immunization for improved maternal and newborn health.
authors: Mark R. Steedman (m.steedman@imperial.ac.uk) is acting institute manager of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom.
authors: Mark R
authors: MR
authors: Steedman
authors: Beate Kampmann is a professor of pediatric infection and immunity and director of the Centre for International Child Health, Imperial College London, and theme leader for vaccines and immunity research at the Medical Research Council Unit in the Gambia.
authors: Beate
authors: B
authors: Kampmann
authors: Egbert Schillings is chief executive officer of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), Qatar Foundation, in Doha, and a visiting professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors: Egbert
authors: E
authors: Schillings
authors: Hanan Al Kuwari is managing director of Hamad Medical Corporation, in Doha, Qatar, and a visiting professor at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors: Hanan
authors: H
authors: Al Kuwari
authors: Ara Darzi is executive chair of WISH, Qatar Foundation, and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors: Ara
authors: A
authors: Darzi
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D000068104:Infant Health; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011050:Policy Making; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines
keywords: Access To Care; Children’s Health; History of Medicine/Health Care; International/global health studies; Maternal And Child Health