Immunisation against pertussis and influenza is strongly recommended during pregnancy to protect expectant mothers and their babies against these serious infections.
Other inactivated vaccines are not routinely recommended during pregnancy but may be considered in special circumstances.
Live attenuated vaccines are not to be given during pregnancy.
Antenatal immunisation consent forms
Antenatal immunisation providers may choose to use the antenatal consent form and influenza/pertussis vaccination in pregnancy fact sheets to support their practice. WA Health no longer requires completed forms to be sent to CDCD, please store them as per your organisational requirements.
Antenatal immunisation consent form
Vaccination in pregnancy fact sheets
Please share these fact sheets with your antenatal patients before they sign the immunisation consent form. The fact sheets contain information on the vaccines and the diseases they offer protection against. There is also a section at the bottom of the page where you can record the vaccine details for them to keep as a record.
Pertussis immunisation
Pertussis immunisation during pregnancy has been shown to be more effective in reducing the risk of pertussis in young infants than post-partum immunisation of parents and grandparents.
Learn more about pertussis immunisation in pregnancy.
Influenza immunisation
Pregnant women who get sick from influenza are at much higher risk of respiratory complications from flu than other healthy adults, and are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital.
Learn more about influenza immunisation in pregnancy.
COVID-19 immunisation
Pregnant women have a higher risk of severe illness if they are infected with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant women with COVID-19. There is also an increased risk of complications for the baby during pregnancy.
For more information read the RANZOG advice on Pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccination (external site), COVID-19 vaccination decision guide for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning a pregnancy (external site) and the ATAGI Clinical Guidance on COVID-19 vaccines in Australia (external site).
Information for parents
Information for patients about immunisation in pregnancy is available on HealthyWA (external site).
Last reviewed: 25-03-2022
Produced by
Public Health