Vaccines during pregnancy: the Belgian guide
4 August 2026 · 4 min read
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.
Pertussis: the most important vaccine of your pregnancy
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.
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).
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.
RSV: two ways to protect your baby, you choose one
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of infant hospitalisation for bronchiolitis. Belgium offers two protection routes — and reimburses only one per child, so you choose with your doctor: either a vaccine for you (Abrysvo), given between weeks 28 and 36, whose antibodies protect the baby for their first months; or an antibody given directly to the baby at birth (nirsevimab, Beyfortus). If you get the maternal vaccine, the baby no longer needs the antibody. Note: the RSV vaccine isn't given within two weeks of the whooping-cough vaccine.
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.
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.
Travelling while pregnant: caution with yellow fever
Most travel vaccines are inactivated and can be given during pregnancy. 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. For malaria (tablets, not a vaccine) as for any trip, talk to a travel clinic 6 to 8 weeks before departure.
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; RSV is reimbursed (one of the two options). If you're unsure about your situation, your doctor or midwife remains your best guide.
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 only one of the two is reimbursed per child. You choose with your doctor, depending on your delivery timing and the RSV season.
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.