Mother-to-Child Transmission of HBV Infection by Preventive Interventions in Southern Vietnam's Hospitals.

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for pregnant women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) presenting with HBV DNA levels of 106 copies/mL or more to hinder mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Moreover, it is suggested that neonates of HBV-infected mothers receive an HBV vaccine birth dose within 24 hours of birth to mitigate transmission risk. The study included 661 HBV-infected pregnant women and 316 infants from 3 hospitals in Southern Vietnam between October 2019 and November 2020. Infants were classified on the basis of their mothers' TDF prophylaxis into I-TDF (+) group (107 infants) whose mothers received TDF; I-TDF (-) group (56 infants) whose mothers missed TDF; and I-NTDF group (153 infants) whose mothers did not necessitate TDF. Almost all infants received an HBV vaccine birth dose with HBIG administered on the basis of parents' financial standing. MTCT was found in 2.2% of the cases. The respective MTCT rates for I-TDF (+), I-TDF (-), and I-NTDF groups were 2.8%, 5.4%, and 0.7%. Immune response rates to the HBV vaccination in the total cohort, I-TDF (+), I-TDF (-), and I-NTDF groups, were 88.6%, 87.9%, 85.7%, and 90.2%, respectively. Vaccinated infants exhibited a statistically lower risk of HBV infection postbirth (aRR = 0.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.0-0.6; P = .01). TDF can equate the MTCT risk in pregnant women with HBV DNA levels of 106 copies/mL or more to those with lower levels. Early administration of the HBV vaccine postbirth also effectively curtails MTCT. Thus, expanding TDF prophylaxis and vaccine coverage is pivotal to impede MTCT.