The best way to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is through the hepatitis B vaccination of their infants, with the first dose administered during the first 24 hours of life.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease. The hepatitis B virus is highly infectious and remains viable on surfaces for seven days or longer and can be transmitted in the absence of visible blood. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of infectious disease mortality worldwide, with an estimated four million new HBV infections and 780,000 deaths annually.
Globally, two-thirds of HBV-related deaths result from infection acquired in the perinatal and early childhood period, underscoring the need for routine infant hepatitis B prevention strategy.
The risk of perinatal transmission from a mother with hepatitis B to her baby of up to 90% occurs through exposure to blood and cervical fluid during birth. Most of these babies will be chronically infected, with a 25% risk of premature death from liver failure or cirrhosis The probability of chronicity of infection depends on the age at which the person becomes infected (80-90% of infants infected during the first year of life and 30-50% of children infected before the age of 6 years).
The hepatitis B vaccine offers a 95-100% protection against hepatitis B. Preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection averts the development of complications including chronic disease and liver cancer.
When feasible, PAHO CLAP recommends administering both hepatitis B vaccine and anti-hepatitis B immune globulin in the first 24 hours of life of newborns from mothers with positive serology for HBV. The neonatal dose of vaccine should be followed by two to three additional doses during breastfeeding to complete the primary series.
Ending perinatal transmission of HBV infection is considered a milestone on the road to hepatitis B elimination.
