New evidence affirms COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy
A study finds no difference in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of kids whose moms got the COVID vaccine while they were pregnant and those who did not.
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New evidence affirms COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy
A study finds no difference in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of kids whose moms got the COVID vaccine while they were pregnant and those who did not.
New evidence affirms COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy
News briefToday at 3:17 p.m.
Sarah Boden
Topics
COVID-19
Expecting moms have another reason to be reassured about the COVID-19 vaccine's safety for their unborn kids. An analysis published this week in JAMA Pediatrics found that in utero exposure to the immunization had no effect on a child's neurodevelopmental outcomes.
The study matched women who received the COVID vaccine during or within 30 days before pregnancy with those who did not, resulting in 217 pairs of participants. Factors considered were delivery site, delivery date, insurance status, race, and ethnicity.
After the women gave birth, researchers compared children's outcomes on the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), a screening tool that tracks development in five areas: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and personal-social measures.
The study found no differences in overall ASQ-3 scores or in the assessment's specific domain scores between kids whose moms got the COVID vaccine while pregnant and those whose moms did not. The kids in the study ranged in age from 18 to 30 months.
These data add to the growing body of evidence showing that the COVID vaccine is safe during pregnancy, wrote the authors, who were led by Brenna L. Hughes, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Duke University School of Medicine.
However, they said that definitive conclusions require further study using standardized developmental assessments under direct observation.
COVID shot protects against poor outcomes, including preterm birth
Pregnant patients are strongly recommended to get the COVID-19 vaccine by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, because infection increases the risk of severe complications, including preterm delivery, neonatal death, and maternal death.Although vaccination can occur in any trimester, the organization says a COVID shot should be given as early as possible to maximize maternal and fetal health.
Quick takes: Salmonella-typhoid vaccine, long-acting malaria drug, rapid viral vs bacterial test
News briefToday at 12:14 p.m.
Chris Dall, MA
Topics
Salmonella
Typhoid
Diagnostics
Malaria
- A combined vaccine for invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) and typhoid fever developed by British drugmaker GSK has advanced into a phase 2 clinical trial. The vaccine, which has received financial and technical support from the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), combines a new iNTS vaccine formulation with an existing typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) and is the first CARB-X–supported vaccine candidate to reach this stage of development. There are currently no licensed vaccines against iNTS, which disproportionately affects young children in low- and middle-income countries and has developed resistance to multiple antibiotic classes. “Advancing the iNTS-TCV vaccine into Phase 2 trials represents an important step forward for potentially addressing a major unmet global health need,” Richard Alm, PhD, chief of R&D at CARB-X, said in a news release.
- The Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the Rwandan health organization Rinda Ubuzima announced this week that they have launched a phase 1b trial in Rwanda for a potential long-acting injectable (LAI) for malaria prevention. It’s the first trial of a malaria LAI to be conducted in Africa, where 95% of the 280 million annual malaria cases occur. The trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of MMV371 in Rwandan adults, explore its efficacy, and assess how the body absorbs and processes the compound. "Long-acting injectables have the potential to redefine how malaria prevention is delivered, providing sustained protection from a single administration and expanding the options available to communities at risk,” MMV CEO Martin Fitchet, MD, said in a news release.
- Beckman Coulter Diagnostics announced this week that the US Food and Drug Administration has cleared Access MeMed BV, a rapid blood test that distinguishes bacterial from viral infections. The host-response blood test measures the body’s immune response to infection and provides results in as little as 15 minutes. Company officials say the test, which works with immunoassay analyzers already installed in hospital laboratories nationwide, gives clinicians “greater confidence to make timely, appropriate treatment decisions” and could help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.