Vaccine recommendations for pregnant women – a guide for health professionals

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Vaccination during pregnancy protects pregnant women and their unborn babies from serious illness caused by certain infectious diseases. 

Vaccination against influenza, pertussis and respiratory syncytial virus is recommended in each pregnancy and is free under the National Immunisation Program for those eligible for a Medicare card.

More detailed information on these recommendations can be found in the pregnancy section and individual disease chapters of the Australian Immunisation Handbook. 

This information is accurate as at 27 February 2026.

 

Recommended gestational age for vaccination
 Trimester 1Trimester 2Trimester 3
Week of gestation12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940
Antibody transfer Antibody transfer*Peak antibody transfer* 
Influenza vaccine – Vaxigrip or FlucelvaxRecommended anytime during pregnancy in each pregnancy
Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine – Boostrix or Adacel Recommended at 20–32 weeks† in each pregnancy 
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine – Abrysvo Recommended from 28 weeks‡ in each pregnancy
COVID-19 vaccine – Comirnaty

One primary dose recommended for unvaccinated women.

Further dose recommended for previously vaccinated women with severe immunocompromise and can be considered for other previously vaccinated women.§

Notes

* Antibody transfer: Vaccines boost maternal antibodies that cross the placenta and provide protection to the infant in their first few weeks or months of life. Peak antibody transfer occurs during the third trimester. Note: National Immunisation Program-funded vaccine brands are listed above. Additional brands are available and can be given during pregnancy (e.g. Fluzone, Influvac) but may incur a cost to the recipient.

† Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine – Boostrix or Adacel: If the pertussis vaccine is not administered between the recommended interval of 20–32 weeks, it can be given after 32 weeks. If it is administered between 13 and 20 weeks, it does not need to be readministered. Pertussis vaccine comes as combination diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis formulation. 

‡ RSV vaccine – Abrysvo: Abrysvo is the only RSV vaccine approved for use in pregnancy. If the RSV vaccine is administered before 28 weeks, it does not need to be readministered. Nirsevimab (monoclonal antibody) is recommended at birth only for infants with high-risk medical conditions or who were not protected by RSV vaccine administered during pregnancy (i.e. vaccine not given; delivery occurred within 2 weeks of vaccination; mother with severe immunocompromise; infant received exchange transfusion; etc.). Refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook RSV chapter and your local health authority for recommendations for nirsevimab use in infants, as well as information about eligibility and availability.

§ COVID-19 vaccine – Cominarty: Further doses are not routinely recommended for healthy, previously vaccinated pregnant women but can be considered based on risk factors and personal preference.

Vaccines that are not routinely recommended during pregnancy but can be given following a risk–benefit assessment
  • Cholera inactivated – Dukoral
  • Diphtheria-tetanus
  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Herpes zoster (shingles)
  • Inactivated poliovirus
  • Japanese encephalitis inactivated – JEspect
  • Meningococcal ACWY
  • Meningococcal B
  • Mpox (previously monkeypox)
  • Pneumococcal – pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV)
  • Q fever
  • Rabies
  • Typhoid Vi polysaccharide – Typhim Vi
Vaccines that should not be given during pregnancy
  • Most live vaccines (e.g. measles-mumps-rubella, varicella) are contraindicated in pregnancy.
  • Yellow fever vaccine is contraindicated except where travel to a high-risk area is unavoidable.
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is not recommended in pregnancy.
Practice points for vaccines given during pregnancy
  • All vaccines given during pregnancy can be co-administered (i.e. given at the same visit).
  • Influenza, pertussis (whooping cough) and RSV vaccines administered during pregnancy are free for those who have or are eligible for a Medicare card. 
  • COVID-19 vaccines are free for everyone in Australia – including during pregnancy – regardless of Medicare or visa status.  
  • It is mandatory to report all NIP-funded vaccines to the Australian Immunisation Register.

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