Which of the following vaccines is considered safe during pregnancy?

The Hepatitis B vaccine is considered safe during pregnancy and is recommended for use in pregnant women who are at risk for infection. It is an inactivated virus vaccine, meaning it does not contain live virus and cannot cause disease in the mother or fetus. Immunization during pregnancy can protect both the mother and the newborn from potential Hepatitis B infection, which can be particularly serious and lead to chronic liver disease.

In contrast, the MMR vaccine, which includes live attenuated viruses, is not recommended during pregnancy due to the theoretical risk of teratogenicity to the fetus. Similarly, the Varicella vaccine, also a live attenuated vaccine, is contraindicated during pregnancy for the same reasons. The HPV vaccine is generally not recommended for pregnant women as there is limited data on its safety during pregnancy.

Understanding the safety profiles of these vaccines emphasizes the importance of vaccination prior to pregnancy or postpartum, particularly for those vaccines containing live viruses, while still allowing for the administration of inactivated vaccines like Hepatitis B during pregnancy.