Which vaccine is recommended during pregnancy to protect the newborn?

The influenza vaccine is recommended during pregnancy primarily to protect both the mother and the newborn from severe outcomes associated with influenza. Pregnant individuals are at a higher risk of complications from influenza, which can negatively impact both maternal and fetal health.

Vaccination during pregnancy allows the mother to produce antibodies, which are then passed through the placenta to the fetus, providing the newborn with some level of immunity against influenza in the early months of life. This is particularly important because newborns are vulnerable to respiratory infections and often cannot receive the influenza vaccine themselves until they are six months old.

While the other vaccines listed have their own importance for general population health and specific circumstances, they do not have the same level of direct recommendation during pregnancy aimed specifically at protecting the newborn in the initial months of life. The hepatitis B vaccine is typically recommended for all newborns at birth, but its administration during pregnancy is not primarily about newborn protection from their immediate environment. Similarly, the HPV vaccine is not indicated during pregnancy, and the meningococcal vaccine, while important in certain conditions, lacks the same direct newborn protection focus as the influenza vaccine.