Protecting newborns and infants before birth: Accelerating equitable maternal vaccine introduction in low‐ and middle‐income countries

Protecting newborns and infants before birth: Accelerating equitable maternal vaccine introduction in low-and middle-income countriesEach year, neonatal infections-including pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis-cause more than 550 000 newborn deaths globally, many occurring before newborns and infants can benefit from routine infant immunization.1 Maternal immunization offers a powerful and tested solution: protecting infants before birth.The success of the maternal tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine program bears this out: when pregnant women received at least two doses of TT vaccine, global neonatal tetanus deaths fell by 94%. 2 New maternal vaccines for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)-and potentially soon for Group B Streptococcus (GBS)-could further improve newborn and infant survival.For women, families, and their obstetricians and midwives, this early window of vulnerability is a critical time.Prevention of infant death is a global priority but is most urgent in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), where nearly 95% of the deaths occur and where access to alternative prevention strategies is most constrained.RSV is a major cause of viral pneumonia in young children and in LMICs, causing more than 100 00 child deaths every year and the hospitalization of 1.4 million infants aged under Annettee Nakimuli 1