As the current recommendation of administering Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis) to all pregnant women has not been widely implemented in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we aimed to ascertain the prevalence of pertussis seronegativity during pregnancy. Methods: IgG antibodies against Bordetella pertussis toxin (PT) were measured in 213 women attending the antenatal clinic at Oasis hospital, Al Ain, UAE. Results were compared by maternal age, nationality and gestational age with the Kruskal-Wallis test for IgG-PT levels and the Chi-squared test for serology status. Results: The mean age AE SD of the participants was 30.4 AE 5.6 years, mean gestational age AE SD of 25.5 AE 3.3 weeks. Serum concentration of IgG-PT <10 IU/ml were found in 160 out of 213 women (75%; 95% confidence interval 69%, 81%). There was no significant difference in the geometric mean of serum IgG-PT concentration across maternal age (P = 0.80) or nationality (P = 0.90). There were no differences in the prevalence of seronegativity with maternal age (P = 0.65) or nationality (P = 0.90). Conclusion: With a high prevalence of pertussis seronegativity in pregnant women, there is a potential benefit of introducing pertussis vaccination during pregnancy into our national immunization program.
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