Menactra Vaccine May Be Safe During Pregnancy

A study conducted by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that pregnant women can safely receive the meningococcal vaccine Menactra. While the vaccine is not routinely recommended during pregnancy, Dr. Yenlik Zheteyeva, who led the study, said “women can be inadvertently exposed to these vaccines while pregnant, and providers may consider using these vaccines in pregnant women at increased risk for meningococcal disease.”

The study reviewed data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System on pregnant women and infants born to women who received the vaccine in pregnancy between 2005 and 2011. Of the 103 reports, 65 described an adverse event, and the remaining 38 were submitted only because of vaccine exposure during pregnancy. The most frequent adverse event was spontaneous abortion in 17 cases (16.5 percent), but investigators say these events are relatively common and occur in approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of all pregnancies. The most frequent nonpregnancy related events were urinary tract infections (3.9 percent) and fever with vomiting (2.9 percent), both of which also are common in pregnant women. There was one report of a major congenital anomaly (aqueductal stenosis and severe ventriculomegaly), but the researchers say this finding “is not informative and no inferences can be made.” There were no maternal or infant deaths reported.

Menactra was licensed for use in the U.S. in 2005, and data support the safety of the vaccine for non-pregnant individuals ages 11 to 55. Teens are the main group to receive Menactra, and in 2005, the pregnancy rate in teenage females was 70 per 1,000, according to statistics on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. The study was reported on in the February 22 online issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.