Abstract
BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in China; perinatal transmission is the main source of chronic HBV infection. Simultaneous administration of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine is highly effective to prevent perinatal transmission of HBV; however, the effectiveness also depends on full adherence to the recommended protocols in daily practice. In the present investigation, we aimed to identify gaps in immunoprophylaxis of perinatal transmission of HBV between recommendations and routine practices in Jiangsu Province, China.MethodsTotally 626 children from 6 cities and 8 rural areas across Jiangsu Province, China, born from February 2003 to December 2004, were enrolled; 298 were born to mothers with positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 328 were born to HBsAg-negative mothers. Immunoprophylactic measures against hepatitis B were retrospectively reviewed for about half of the children by checking medical records or vaccination cards and the vaccine status was validated for most of children.ResultsOf 298 children born to HBV carrier mothers, 11 (3.7%) were HBsAg positive, while none of 328 children born to non-carrier mothers was HBsAg positive (P < 0.01). The rates of anti-HBs ≥ 10 mIU/ml in children of carrier and non-carrier mothers were 69.5% and 69.2% respectively (P = 0.95). The hepatitis B vaccine coverage in two groups was 100% and 99.4% respectively (P = 0.50), but 15.1% of HBV-exposed infants did not receive the timely birth dose. Prenatal HBsAg screening was performed only in 156 (52.3%) of the carrier mothers. Consequently, only 112 (37.6%) of HBV-exposed infants received HBIG after birth. Furthermore, of the 11 HBV-infected children, only one received both HBIG and hepatitis B vaccine timely, seven missed HBIG, two received delayed vaccination, and one missed HBIG and received delayed vaccination.ConclusionsThere are substantial gaps in the prevention of perinatal HBV infection between the recommendations and routine practices in China, which highlights the importance of full adherence to the recommendations to eliminate perinatal HBV infection in the endemic regions.
Highlights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in China; perinatal transmission is the main source of chronic HBV infection
Simultaneous administration with one dose (0.5–1 ml, 100–200 IU) of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 12 hours after birth and three doses of hepatitis B vaccine on a 0, 1, and 6-month schedule, which has been adopted by many countries as well as China as the recommended immunoprophylaxis for infants born to HBV carrier mothers, is highly effective to prevent perinatal HBV infections [3,4,5]
We surveyed the administration of hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG and measured the serologic markers in infants born to HBV carrier mothers based on the pregnant women population in Jiangsu province, China, to determine whether there are gaps in the immunoprophylaxis against perinatal HBV transmission between national recommendations and the routine practices after the integration of hepatitis B vaccine into the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) of China
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in China; perinatal transmission is the main source of chronic HBV infection. Simultaneous administration with one dose (0.5–1 ml, 100–200 IU) of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 12 hours after birth and three doses of hepatitis B vaccine on a 0-, 1-, and 6-month schedule, which has been adopted by many countries as well as China as the recommended immunoprophylaxis for infants born to HBV carrier mothers, is highly effective to prevent perinatal HBV infections [3,4,5]. We surveyed the administration of hepatitis B vaccine and HBIG and measured the serologic markers in infants born to HBV carrier mothers based on the pregnant women population in Jiangsu province, China, to determine whether there are gaps in the immunoprophylaxis against perinatal HBV transmission between national recommendations and the routine practices after the integration of hepatitis B vaccine into the EPI of China
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