STAT

Experts call for reversing the decision to deny the Ebola vaccine to pregnant women

The vaccine "will give pregnant women, and the children they are carrying, a chance to live," the experts wrote. "Without it, most of the pregnant women infected with Ebola, and…
Nurses working with the World Health Organization prepare to administer vaccines in Mbandaka during the launch of the Ebola vaccination campaign in May in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The exclusion of pregnant and lactating women from an effort to vaccinate people exposed to the Ebola virus in the current outbreak is wrong, indefensible, and should be reversed, three public health experts wrote Monday in an opinion article published in STAT.

The Johns Hopkins University experts argued it is unfair to deny pregnant and lactating women the experimental vaccine if they wish to take it, given the great risk Ebola poses to them. The fatality rate is 80 percent or higher for pregnant women who contract Ebola, and nearly all survivors miscarry.

The decision was made by the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health ministry, based on the advice of two expert panels that advise it on use of experimental Ebola therapies and vaccines. But the DRC’s position echoes the recommendations of the World Health Organization on how to use Merck’s still-unlicensed Ebola vaccine.

“The … vaccine will give pregnant women, and the children they are carrying, a chance to live. Without it, most of the pregnant women infected with Ebola, and almost all of their infants, will die,” wrote Ruth Faden, Ruth.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT1 min read
STAT+: IVF Doctors Demand Full Details On Fluid That Grows Embryos Amid CooperSurgical Lawsuits
Patients from all over the country are filing lawsuits against medical supply giant CooperSurgical, alleging that fluid the company sent to in vitro fertilization clinics destroyed their embryos. The fluid, called culture media, is filled with nutrie
STAT1 min read
Disparities In Donor Acceptance Rates Point To Need For More Equitable Heart Transplant Care
While access to donor hearts has increased, there are still gender- and race-based disparities in the acceptance rate of a donor heart offer by transplant teams, a new study finds.
STAT1 min read
STAT+: AstraZeneca Sues Arkansas Over The Role Of Pharmacies In A Federal Discount Drug Program
AstraZeneca filed a lawsuit seeking to block an Arkansas law that requires the company to ship its medicines to any pharmacy working with hospitals participating in a federal discount program.

Related Books & Audiobooks