Pertussis immunisation in pregnancy: a summary of funded Australian state and territory programs.

The Australian Immunisation Handbook, 10th edition now recommends pertussis vaccination during pregnancy as the preferred option for protecting vulnerable young infants. Jurisdictionally funded pertussis immunisation programs for pregnant women have been progressively introduced in all Australian states and territories between August 2014 and June 2015. A meeting convened by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases was held on 31 May 2015 to share information regarding jurisdictional policies and program implementation. This report of that meeting provides the first published comparison of these jurisdictional programs, which are of a broadly similar nature but with important differences. Monitoring and evaluation of the uptake, safety and impact of the current programs in Australia will be important to inform future policy decisions.