Kevin Ault, MD, on maternal immunization as a bridge to pediatric vaccination

All 4 vaccines in ACOG's 2026-27 respiratory virus immunization guidance carry direct newborn benefit, and initiating those conversations during pregnancy can ease vaccine discussions in pediatric and family medicine settings, according to Kevin Ault, MD, FACOG, co-author of the guidance. The discussion continues Ault's remarks on the updated recommendations, detailed in Contemporary OB/GYN's coverage of the guidance.

Ault noted that the newborn benefit of maternal immunization is well established for some vaccines and more recently demonstrated for others.

“All four of the vaccines that are on ACOG's recommendations have direct newborn benefit. You know, two of them are newer. The COVID vaccine and RSV recommendations are newer, just the past few years, whereas influenza vaccine, we've been recommending for several decades, and we've known that it's beneficial for the newborn for at least 20 years and the pertussis recommendation is about 15 years old. But all 4 of those are good,” he said.

Easing downstream vaccine conversations

Ault said starting vaccine conversations during pregnancy can smooth the path for pediatric and family medicine colleagues caring for the newborn.

“If you start talking about those vaccines during pregnancy, that makes the conversations a little easier for our colleagues in pediatrics and family medicine with those newborns,” he said.

Pooling resources across specialties

He framed maternal immunization as an opportunity for cross-specialty collaboration, particularly within multi-specialty practices.

“We ought to be having people work together. You know, a lot of us when we finish residency join these multi-specialty groups, and this is really a way to pool our resources and increase pediatric vaccination rates on the heel of maternal immunization rates,” Ault said.

Per the guidance, the 2026-27 recommendations cover influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and Tdap, each aimed at protecting newborns from respiratory and related infections through maternal antibody transfer. Maternal RSV vaccination reduced the risk of infant hospitalization by 51% to 70%, and maternal COVID-19 vaccination provided infant protection with vaccine effectiveness of 50% to 54% against COVID-related hospital contacts in the first 2 months of life. The guidance is endorsed by numerous professional organizations across obstetrics, pediatrics, and family medicine.¹

Reference:

1. Fitch J. ACOG's 2026-27 respiratory virus immunization recommendations in pregnancy, postpartum. Contemporary OB/GYN. Published September 2, 2026. Accessed September 9, 2026. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/acog-2026-27-respiratory-virus-immunization-recommendations-pregnancy