Aykan YÜCEL, Gökçen ÖRGÜL, Dilek ŞAHİN, Gülşah DAĞDEVİREN

Tetanus vaccine during pregnancy: data of a tertiary hospital in Turkey

Background/aim: To evaluate the prevalence of tetanus vaccination in pregnant women and determine the factors affecting the vaccination and barriers to vaccination. Materials and methods: An observational-descriptive study was conducted on 494 women who gave birth at the Etlik Zübeyde Hanım Women’s Health Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Participants were divided into 2 groups, vaccinated and unvaccinated. Sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric history, and prenatal care status were compared between the 2 groups. Results: There were 242 (48.9%) and 252 (51.1%) women in the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, respectively. The vaccination rate decreased as the number of pregnancies increased (P = 0.009). As the level of income increased, there was a statistically significant increase in the vaccination rate (P = 0.048). The status of education and having an occupation did not affect the vaccination rate (P > 0.05). The vaccination rate was higher in women with regular follow-ups when compared to those who did not get a regular follow-up (76.5% vs. 38.7%) (P = 0.001). The vaccination rate was significantly higher in women who had knowledge about tetanus vaccine during pregnancy (P < 0.005). Conclusions: All pregnant women should be encouraged to get regular antenatal care to increase vaccination rates. Health care providers should give all pregnant women detailed information about the safety, effectivity, and benefits of vaccines.

PDF

___

1. Guerrant RL, Walker DH, Weller PF. Tropical infectious diseases: principles, pathogens, and practice. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, USA: Saunders; 2011.
2. Roper MH, Vandelaer JH, Gasse FL. Maternal and neonatal tetanus. Lancet. 2007; 370 (9603): 1947-1959. doi: 10.1016/ S0140-6736(07)61261-6
3. World Health Organization. Achieving and sustaining maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: strategic plan 2012-2015. Geneva, Switzerland; 2012.
4. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Maternal immunization committee opinion number 741. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2018; 131 (6): 214-217. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002662
5. Maral I, Baykan Z, Aksakal F.N, F Kayikcioglu, M A Bumin. Tetanus immunization in pregnant women evaluation of maternal tetanus vaccination status and factors affecting rate of vaccination coverage. Public Health 2001; 115 (5): 359-364. doi: 10.1038/sj/ph/ 1900780
6. National Primary Health Care Development Agency. Nigeria Effective Vaccine Management Assessment-Findings and Recommendation. Abuja, Nigeria; 2014.
7. World Health Organization (2017). Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: validation in Punjab Province, Pakistan, November 2016. Weekly Epidemiological Record 2017; 92 (3): 21-34.
8. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 772: Immunization implementation strategies for obstetrician-gynecologists. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2019 ;133 (3): 254-259. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003130
9. İsaoğlu İ, Özsoy S A, Öztürk Dönmez. Opinions of the obstetrics and gynecology specialists about tetanus vaccination in pregnancy. Ege Journal of Medicine 2013; 52 (2): 67-72.
10. Swamy GK, Heine RP. Vaccinations for pregnant women. Obstetrics and Gynecology 2015; 125 (1): 212-226. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000581