Pregnancy vaccination has been around for a long time.

Pregnancy vaccination has been practiced in Australia for over 20 years. It is a routine and recommended part of prenatal care, and something that most Australian women opt to have.

Pregnancy vaccination is not a “new” concept – as early as 1879, it was recognised that infants born to women who had received the smallpox vaccine during pregnancy were immune to the virus in early life.

Tetanus pregnancy vaccination programs began around fifty years ago, helping to protect newborns in developing countries from deadly neonatal tetanus infections.

The whooping cough vaccine was first given to pregnant women in Australia in 2014. The flu vaccine has been given to pregnant women in Australia for even longer.