Immunizing pregnant women in the community clinic setting

It is recognized that there is strong precautionary principle when considering interventions for pregnant women and that program staff will require the opportunity to understand the evidence used to support the decision for the policy change. [...] In addition, program staff representatives who participated in the workshop expressed a need for good information on the risk/benefit of vaccine(s) that will be offered to pregnant women in the clinic setting in order for them to effectively answer the questions pregnant women will have. [...] In order to make responsible decisions at the program level and at the nursing level, we must have the knowledge, skills and tools to assess and understand the risk related to immunizing pregnant women. [...] Despite the efforts of PPH to clearly communicate with the public that pregnant women would not be vaccinated at mass immunization clinics, and efforts to pre-screen women standing in line, some pregnant women still attended the clinics with the expectation that they would receive the vaccine. [...] The clinic supervisor and the Medical Officer of Health, who happened to be on location at the clinic during this incident, spoke to the couple to explain PPH’s policy.