The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday issued a new guideline advising pregnant women not to take the Modern COVID-19 vaccine unless they have a high risk of exposure or otherwise fall into an increased risk category for the disease. The guidelines were not issued due to observations of pregnant women who became ill after receiving the vaccination, but rather due to a lack of data on the effect of the vaccine on pregnant women, which were not part of the test trials. not.
Finally, the WHO argued that there is not enough information on how the Moderna vaccine (known as mRNA-1273) will affect pregnant women, especially when it comes to possible risks to the women themselves or their fetuses. The WHO noted that pregnant women are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 and that the disease is associated with an increased likelihood of premature birth.
Although studies on pregnant animals have not yielded any ominous results, the WHO believes that further research on pregnant women needs to be done in the coming months in order to reach definitive conclusions.
“Meanwhile, the WHO recommends not to use mRNA-1273 [Moderna’s vaccine] during pregnancy, unless the benefit of vaccinating a pregnant woman outweighs the potential vaccination risks, as in health workers, “the WHO writes. Information and, if possible, advice on the lack of safety and efficacy data for pregnant women should be provided. “
The guidance added: “WHO does not recommend pregnancy tests before vaccination. WHO does not recommend delaying pregnancy after vaccination.”
These guidelines are similar to one issued by the WHO earlier this month on the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, known as BNT162b2.
The guidance is not intended to be universally applied. The WHO added that the Moderna vaccine could still be administered to pregnant women if they “run the risk of high exposure (eg health workers).” It made a similar point in its guidelines on the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine earlier this month, explaining that if a pregnant woman has an unavoidable exposure (just a healthcare professional), vaccination could be considered in discussion with their healthcare provider. “
As Salon Nicole Karlis covered last month, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine trials up to that point – as well as other important vaccination trials – did not include pregnant women, continuing the long-standing trend in the US healthcare system in which pregnant women are active. excluded from clinical vaccine trials and other critical research. This practice is criticized by many experts in maternal and reproductive health because it means that pregnant women need certain medications but will not have complete information about the potential benefits and risks associated with their use.
Both the modern and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines are mRNA vaccines, which means that they use a single-stranded RNA molecule and inject it into the body. These vaccines cause the body’s own cells to produce a protein known as Spike, which is associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which then learns to identify and protect the immune system. Ear is the protein that causes the tiny pins like the spines to protrude on a sea urchin around the sphere of the virus so that it can bind to human cells.
The WHO noted that there is less cause for concern because the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do not include live viruses, and because the mRNA degrades rapidly.