Letter to the Editor in response to the article by Borg et al

Safety, equity and monitoring: a review of the gaps in maternal vaccination strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women

“…To this end, increasing the uptake of IIV and pertussis vaccination in Australian Aboriginal pregnant women must begin with involving Aboriginal peoples in the development, implementation, and dissemination of health programs and research. 48,50 Aboriginal peoples therefore must be placed at the center of the decision-making process, leading the way toward developing and implementing culturally appropriate vaccine strategies in pregnancy. Establishing a process for engagement and meaningful and respectful communication within a culturally appropriate governance structure that values and privileges Aboriginal peoples' voices, histories, experiences and perspectives are critical.…”

“…[43][44][45] In Australia, it has been suggested that the lack of culturally appropriate, safe and equitable quality antenatal services contributes to this disparity in disease burden, [46][47][48] and current services lack engagement with Aboriginal voices, therefore, cultural factors cannot have been given due consideration. [48][49][50] For example, younger maternal age and ethnicity have been shown to be predictors of lower pertussis vaccination uptake in pregnancy worldwide, 35,51 with non-English speaking women less likely to receive pertussis vaccination in pregnancy compared to Englishspeaking pregnant women. 52 Aboriginal women birthing their first child are younger than non-Aboriginal women, 53 and English may not be the first spoken language for Aboriginal women.…”