BRIDGING KNOWLEDGE GAPS
Educating frontline providers on maternal pertussis immunization
02 May 2026
byMartha Millar-Aquino, MD, FPOGS, FPIDSOG; Ma. Lorena Santos, MD, FPOGS, FPIDSOG
Newborns do not receive their first vaccine against pertussis until six weeks of age. In the first weeks
of life, newborns remain highly vulnerable to pertussis, with protection relying entirely from maternal
antibodies transferred transplacentally acquired maternal antibodies following Tdap vaccination.