Reducing the burden of Pertussis disease in very young infants in different epidemiological settings through pertussis vaccination in pregnancy.

Current pertussis immunization strategies fail to protect infants, too young to be immunized. The aim of the study is to measure the influence of a pertussis booster dose during pregnancy, on the titer and duration of maternal antibodies in neonates. Early life humoral immunity and the influence on vaccine response of the infant will be assessed. Conducting the study in parallel in an industrialized and a country in transition offers a unique opportunity to compare vaccination strategies in different epidemiologic settings and with different vaccination programs. The study will be instrumental for further safety, immunogenicity, efficacy and field effectiveness studies.

Keywords:MATERNAL ANTIBODIES, VACCINATION, PERTUSSIS

Disciplines:Microbiology, Systems biology, Laboratory medicine, Paediatrics and neonatology, Public health care, Public health sciences, Public health services, Nursing

Project type:Collaboration project