Effect of Smallpox Vaccination on the Outcome of Pregnancy

Bellows, Marjorie T.; Hyman, Mary E.; Merritt, Katherine

doi:10.2307/4586880

Cited by 45 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Apparently it has been generally accepted that pregnancy is not affected by v,accination (Greenberg et al, 1949;Bellows et al, 1949). The present case, however, confirms the observations of MacArthur (1952) that vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy may lead to fatal generalized vaccinia in the foetus.…”

Section: Commentsupporting

confidence: 79%

Foetal Complication of Vaccination in Pregnancy

Tucker

Sibson

1963

Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Commentsupporting

confidence: 79%

Foetal Complication of Vaccination in Pregnancy

Tucker

Sibson

1963

Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…6,8,19,21–24,26,28,30,31 Among eight studies that included a comparison group, there was no significantly increased risk of stillbirth with smallpox vaccination (pooled RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.75–1.40) (Table 3). Stillbirth rates ranged from 1.5% to 4.2% among women vaccinated at any time during pregnancy, 0.9–14.7% among those vaccinated in the first trimester, and 1.2–3.9% among the unexposed cohort.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8,19,21–24,28 Although MacArthur et al demonstrated an increased rate of stillbirth in association with first-trimester vaccination exposure (14.7%), the small sample size (n=34) and lack of a control group limit applicability of these findings. 6 Additionally, this meta-analysis found no association between smallpox vaccination and preterm birth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risks Associated With Smallpox Vaccination in Pregnancy

Badell

Meaney‐Delman

Tuuli

et al. 2015

Obstetrics &Amp; Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To estimate the maternal and fetal risks of smallpox vaccination during pregnancy. Data Sources MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Global Health, ClinicalTrials.gov, and CINHAL from inception to September 2014. Methods of Study Selection We included published articles containing primary data regarding smallpox vaccination during pregnancy that reported maternal or fetal outcomes (spontaneous abortion, congenital defect, stillbirth, preterm birth, or fetal vaccinia). Tabulations, Integration, and Results The primary search yielded 887 articles. After hand-searching, 37 articles were included: 18 articles with fetal outcome data and 19 case reports of fetal vaccinia. Outcomes of smallpox vaccination in 12,201 pregnant women were included. Smallpox vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion (pooled relative risk [RR] 1.03, confidence interval [CI] 0.76–1.41), stillbirth (pooled RR 1.03, CI 0.75–1.40), or preterm birth (pooled RR 0.84, CI 0.62–1.15). When vaccination in any trimester was considered, smallpox vaccination was not associated with an increased risk of congenital defects (pooled RR 1.25, CI 0.99–1.56); however, first-trimester exposure was associated with an increased risk of congenital defects (2.4% compared with 1.5%, pooled RR 1.34, CI 1.02–1.77). No cases of fetal vaccinia were reported in the studies examining fetal outcomes; 21 cases of fetal vaccinia were identified in the literature, of which three neonates survived. Conclusion The overall risk associated with maternal smallpox vaccination appears low. No association between smallpox vaccination and spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, or stillbirth was identified. First-trimester vaccination was associated with a small increase in congenital defects, but the effect size was small and based on limited data. Fetal vaccinia appears to be a rare consequence of maternal smallpox vaccination but is associated with a high rate of fetal loss.

show abstract

“…Urner (1927) was of the opinion that vaccination in pregnancy had no injurious effects on mothers or their infants, but all except one of the 129 expectant mothers were vaccinated after the third month of pregnancy. Bellows et al (1949), from a study of 893 pregnant women, 720 of whom were vaccinated and 173 unvaccinated, considered that smallpox vaccination during pregnancy did not increase the incidence of congenital abnormalities, stillbirths, abortions, or infant deaths. Although the study was a prospective one the control group was very small, and the abortions, stillbirths, and malformations were not analysed according to the stage of pregnancy in weeks when vaccination was performed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%