Pregnant women and nursing mothers dey face special risks if dem take malaria vaccines, according to gynaecologists. One of the main reasons be say there no enough safety data on how these vaccines affect pregnant women and their unborn babies.
Gynaecologists warn say the current malaria vaccines, including the RTS,S and R21 vaccines, no dey recommended for pregnant women because of the limited research on their safety during pregnancy. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend other treatments for malaria during pregnancy, like quinine plus clindamycin in the first trimester and artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in later stages, but dem no include malaria vaccines in these recommendations.
Another reason be say malaria vaccines might not provide immediate protection, and the risk of side effects or adverse reactions dey higher for pregnant women. Gynaecologists advise say it better to use other preventive measures like mosquito nets, insect repellents, and antimalarial drugs that dey proven to be safe for pregnant women.
In areas where malaria dey common, gynaecologists recommend intermittent preventive therapy with antimalarial drugs like sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for pregnant women, but dem emphasize say malaria vaccines no dey part of this regimen for now.
