Prospects for vaccines during pregnancy and in the newborn period

Infection continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality during the first few months of life. Immunization of mothers or newborn babies may provide an effective method to further reduce infections in young infants. The current status of maternal and neonatal immunizations are reviewed, and new vaccine strategies for immunization of newborns are discussed. Increased use of vaccines in mothers or newborn babies will, however, require a concerted effort from several groups, including the pharmaceutical companies, public health organizations, and medical communities.