Vaccinating During Pregnancy To Protect Against a Leading Killer of Newborns

Journalist Leslie Roberts reports on the slow efforts to develop a vaccine for pregnant women to protect against a leading killer of newborns. A little-known bacteria, group B streptococcus (GBS), is a major cause of stillbirths and newborn deaths—babies born infected often die their first day of life.

Fifty years ago, pioneering vaccinologist Carol Baker proposed vaccinating pregnant women against GBS. But the vaccine industry, leery of liability issues, has been reluctant to invest in a vaccine administered during pregnancy. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent call for just such a vaccine, and two are entering pivotal clinical trials.

Reporting from South Africa, Roberts describes the many scientific and political struggles surrounding this issue, the devastating toll of the disease that disproportionately affects Africans, and the innovative efforts by vaccinologist Shabir Madhi to reduce the toll of GBS.