A global study has found large disparities between countries in the share of pregnant women who receive the maternal RSV vaccine, Medical Xpress reported on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
According to Medical Xpress, the research documents what it describes as stark differences in uptake of the shot, which is given during pregnancy. The report does not specify which countries were compared or the size of the gaps.
The findings point to uneven adoption of a vaccine aimed at protecting infants from respiratory syncytial virus, a common respiratory infection. Maternal immunization works by passing protective antibodies from mother to baby before birth, offering early protection in the first months of life.
Medical Xpress frames the results as evidence that access to and acceptance of the maternal RSV vaccine vary considerably around the world. The outlet's summary provides no breakdown of the reasons behind the differences, and no figures on coverage levels in individual nations.
Because only the headline and summary were available, further details of the study — including its authors, the number of countries involved, and its publication venue — have not been confirmed here.
What to watch next: whether the study's authors or health agencies release country-level data and explain what is driving the gaps in maternal RSV vaccination.
