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. 2022 May 30:9:893292.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.893292. eCollection 2022.

Preparing for Disease X: Ensuring Vaccine Equity for Pregnant Women in Future Pandemics

Flor M Munoz  1 , Clare L Cutland  2 , Christine E Jones  3 , Beate Kampmann  4 , Asma Khalil  5   6 , Esperança Sevene  7   8 , Andy Stergachis  9 , Geeta K Swamy  10 , Gerald Voss  11 , Ajoke Sobanjo-Ter Meulen  12
Affiliations

Preparing for Disease X: Ensuring Vaccine Equity for Pregnant Women in Future Pandemics

Flor M Munoz et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Disease X represents a yet unknown human pathogen which has potential to cause a serious international epidemic or pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated that despite being at increased risk of severe disease compared with the general population, pregnant women were left behind in the development and implementation of vaccination, resulting in conflicting communications and changing guidance about vaccine receipt in pregnancy. Based on the COVID-19 experience, the COVAX Maternal Immunization Working Group have identified three key factors and five broad focus topics for consideration when proactively planning for a disease X pandemic, including 10 criteria for evaluating pandemic vaccines for potential use in pregnant women. Prior to any disease X pandemic, collaboration and coordination are needed to close the pregnancy data gap which is currently a barrier to gender equity in health innovation, which will aid in allowing timely access to life-saving interventions including vaccines for pregnant women and their infants.

Keywords: collaboration; coordination; disease X; pregnant women; preparedness; vaccine equity.

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Conflict of interest statement

FM—member DSMB Pfizer, Moderna, Meissa Vaccines, Virometix, US National Institutes of Health (NIH); Research support Pfizer, Gilead, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Center (IDCRC); Member Immunization Expert Group at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), Member Committee of Infectious Diseases (COID) of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Member Executive Committee of the Society of Infectious Diseases (SOID) of the AAP. CC—scientific advisor for Pfizer's maternal immunization work. Research and training support from BMGF, Sanofi. CJ—investigator for clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer and Medicago; participation of data safety monitoring board or advisory board for MSD, Pfizer, and Sanofi. BK—investigator for clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer; member of ad hoc Scientific Advisory Committees for GSK, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and member of Independent Data Monitoring Committee J&J; Director of IMPRINT https://www.imprint-network.co.uk. AS—research support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. GS—chair of Independent Data Monitoring Committees for GlaxoSmithKline (RSV vaccine) and Pfizer (Group B Strep vaccine), Member DSMB National Cancer Institute (HPV vaccine), Member Immunization Expert Group at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Investigator for clinical trials sponsored by Novavax, GlaxoSmithKline, Regeneron, Pfizer, NIH, and US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Enabling factors for pandemic vaccination of pregnant women.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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