Vaccines during pregnancy: the Belgian guide

4 August 2026 · updated 11 October 2026 · 6 min read

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Some vaccines during pregnancy protect more than you: they also protect your baby for their very first months, before they can be vaccinated themselves. Others are best avoided while you're pregnant. Here is what the Belgian authorities recommend, and the right time for each vaccine.

Key takeaways

Pertussis is the key vaccine: at every pregnancy, between weeks 24 and 32. It protects your baby from birth, and it’s free.
Flu is recommended at any stage of pregnancy during the season; COVID if you’re not yet vaccinated.
Against RSV: two options, of which in principle only one is reimbursed per child. The vaccine for you (weeks 28-36) is reimbursed only if your delivery is expected during the RSV season; the antibody for the baby is intended if you were not vaccinated. You choose with your doctor, who confirms whether you are eligible.
To avoid during pregnancy: live vaccines (MMR/rubella, chickenpox, yellow fever).
Even before pregnancy: check your immunity to rubella.

Pertussis: the most important vaccine of your pregnancy

Weeks 24-32

The recommended window for the dTpa

Free

The pertussis vaccine under the programme

The whooping-cough vaccine (a dTpa, such as Boostrix) is recommended at every pregnancy, even if you've had a booster before.

The right time: between weeks 24 and 32. Your antibodies then cross the placenta and protect your baby from birth, until they start their own vaccination schedule.

If you miss that window, it can still be given later, but at the latest two weeks before delivery. Good news: this vaccine is free under the vaccination programme.

Source : Pertussis & pregnancy (ONE) ↗dTpa in pregnancy (vaccination-info Pro) ↗

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Flu: recommended at any stage of pregnancy

During flu season (October to April), the vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women, whatever the trimester. It's an inactivated vaccine, long used with no known risk in pregnancy, and it also protects your baby after birth.

Unlike pertussis, it's a paid vaccine but reimbursed by your health insurer (mutualité). It can be given the same day as the whooping-cough vaccine (one in each arm).

Source : Pregnancy (vaccination-info.be) ↗

COVID-19: if you’re not yet vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccination is recommended during pregnancy if you're not yet vaccinated, whatever the trimester, and a booster is advised if you have risk factors. As campaign guidance changes from season to season, confirm the current advice with your doctor or midwife.

Source : Pregnancy (vaccination-info.be) ↗

RSV: two ways to protect your baby, you choose one

Weeks 28-36

Window for the maternal Abrysvo vaccine

1 of 2

In principle, only one option reimbursed per child

Against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Belgium offers two protection routes and in principle reimburses only one per child, chosen with your doctor: either a vaccine for you (Abrysvo), whose antibodies protect the baby for their first months; or an antibody given directly to the baby (nirsevimab, Beyfortus).

The maternal vaccine is reimbursed if it is given between weeks 28 and 36 of pregnancy and if the delivery is expected during the RSV season. One pack is reimbursed per pregnancy. An interval of at least two weeks is recommended between this vaccine and the whooping-cough vaccine.

Official sources do not all give the same delivery period: usually September to March inclusive in the INAMI/RIZIV rule, early September to end of March for the Superior Health Council, early September to end of January for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in 2026-2027, early October to end of March in Flanders. Your gynaecologist or GP confirms whether you are eligible.

The antibody is intended for babies whose mother was not vaccinated during pregnancy. If you received the maternal vaccine, it is in principle not indicated for your baby. The Superior Health Council sets out exceptions, for example some premature births or a birth within two weeks of the vaccine: your doctor checks them.

For the 2026-2027 season, a baby born during the RSV season receives the antibody in the maternity ward, or just after the stay from the GP or the paediatrician. In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, a baby born between 16 March and 30 September 2026 receives it in September or October from the GP, the paediatrician or at an ONE consultation. In Flanders, it goes through a prescription from the GP or paediatrician, not through Kind en Gezin.

In both cases, reimbursed does not mean free. Reimbursement needs prior authorisation from your health fund’s advisory physician, requested by the prescribing doctor, and a copayment remains: 12,80 €, or 8,50 € with increased reimbursement (amounts consulted on 10 October 2026).

Note: an interval of at least two weeks is recommended between the RSV vaccine and the whooping-cough vaccine.

Source : RSV: pregnancy vaccine and antibody for the baby (vaccination-info.be) ↗CBIP/BCFI: Abrysvo reimbursement page ↗RSV: vaccine, antibody and reimbursement in Belgium ↗After the birth: your baby's vaccination schedule, month by month ↗

What’s best avoided during pregnancy

Live attenuated vaccines aren't given during pregnancy: that includes MMR (measles-mumps-rubella), chickenpox and yellow fever. The vaccines recommended during pregnancy (pertussis, flu, COVID) are inactivated vaccines, and are also compatible with breastfeeding.

Source : Travelling during pregnancy (ITM/Wanda) ↗

Before pregnancy: think about rubella

Rubella caught during pregnancy can be serious for the baby, and the vaccine (MMR) can't be given once you're pregnant. So the ideal is to check your immunity with a blood test before pregnancy: if it's insufficient, you can get vaccinated, then avoid pregnancy for about four weeks after the vaccine.

Source : Planning a pregnancy (vaccination-info.be) ↗

Travelling while pregnant: caution with yellow fever

Most travel vaccines are inactivated and can be given during pregnancy.

For malaria (tablets, not a vaccine) as for any trip, talk to a travel clinic 6 to 8 weeks before departure.

The exception is yellow fever: this live vaccine is only considered if travel to a risk zone is truly unavoidable, given how serious the disease is.

Source : Travelling during pregnancy (ITM/Wanda) ↗

Where, how much, and with whom

You can be vaccinated by your GP, your gynaecologist, your midwife, or at a prenatal consultation (ONE in Wallonia-Brussels, or the equivalent follow-up in Flanders).

The pertussis vaccine is free (no consultation fee at ONE); flu is reimbursed by your health insurer; for RSV, one of the two options is reimbursed under conditions, after prior authorisation from the advisory physician, with a copayment of 12,80 € or 8,50 €.

If you're unsure about your situation, your doctor or midwife remains your best guide.

Source : Vaccination during pregnancy (ONE) ↗

Frequently asked questions

Is the whooping-cough vaccine safe during pregnancy?

Yes. It’s an inactivated vaccine, recommended at every pregnancy between weeks 24 and 32, precisely to protect the newborn before they can be vaccinated themselves.

Do I need the pertussis vaccine at every pregnancy?

Yes, at every pregnancy, even if you had a booster recently. That’s what ensures optimal protection for each baby.

Maternal RSV vaccine or antibody for the baby: which do I choose?

Both protect the baby; in Belgium, in principle only one of the two is reimbursed per child, with a copayment. The maternal vaccine is reimbursed only if your delivery is expected during the RSV season, and official sources do not all give the same period. You choose with your gynaecologist or GP, who confirms whether you are eligible.

I need to travel to a yellow-fever zone while pregnant, what should I do?

The yellow-fever vaccine is a live vaccine, in principle not advised during pregnancy. It’s only considered if travel is unavoidable. Consult a travel clinic to weigh the benefit and risk.