Vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to be an effective measure to protect mothers and babies against infection and negative health outcomes.
In Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends that all pregnant women receive the influenza vaccine and the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine during each pregnancy.
The flu vaccine helps protect the mother and baby from flu-related complications, while the Tdap vaccine helps protect newborns from pertussis (whooping cough) during the first two months of their life, when they are most vulnerable to this disease.
In 2021, 65% of women were vaccinated against pertussis and 53% against the flu, higher proportions than in 2019 (44% for pertussis and 45% for flu).
Recommendations from a maternity care provider (e.g., obstetrician-gynecologist, family doctor, midwife, nurse) are an important factor in vaccination coverage.
In 2021, nearly all women (99.9%) reported having a primary maternity care provider during their pregnancy.
Among pregnant women who received maternity care, 69% stated that they were advised to get vaccinated against pertussis; 86% of those advised to get the vaccine reported having received it, compared with 9% coverage among those who had not been advised.
A similar impact was seen in those who were advised to get vaccinated against the flu (69%), with 70% coverage among those who were advised to get vaccinated and 14% coverage among those who were not advised.
By comparison, in 2019, 49% of pregnant women received a recommendation to get vaccinated against pertussis and 61% against the flu. The increases in provider recommendations help explain overall increases in vaccine coverage for pertussis and the flu that were observed in 2021.
Although there has been increases in vaccine coverage from 2019 to 2021, some women remain unvaccinated during pregnancy.
The top two reasons for not being vaccinated remained the same in 2021 as in 2019, for both vaccinations—lack of awareness that the vaccines were recommended during pregnancy (46% for pertussis and 22% for the flu) and not wanting to receive the recommended prenatal vaccines while pregnant (23% for pertussis and 51% for the flu).
Additional insights from the childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey (cNICS) on vaccination during pregnancy are available from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Results from an additional component of the cNICS, which focuses on vaccines given to children younger than 18 years, in four age groups (2, 7, 14 and 17 years) will be released in the spring of 2023.
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Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).