Immunization of babies of women who screen positive for hepatitis B

R. Vlădăreanu, C. P. Began, S. Constantinescu

Abstract: To prevent the spread of HBV infection from mother to child in uterine and puerperal life it’s considered opportune the administration of hepatitis B hyper immune globulin at birth followed by HBV vaccination to those newborns from mother with HBV infection. Also, in highly endemic areas of HBV, universal vaccination of all newborns was established. In order to prevent liver cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma in later life, it is essential to prevent HBV infection in infants. If the mother is chronically infected with HBV and is also positive for markers which indicate an active replication of this virus (HBeAg), 80 to 90% of the newborns will become chronically infected; whereas if the mother is positive for anti-HBe, only some of the newborns will develop acute hepatitis or fulminant hepatitis. Therefore it is indicated to screen pregnant women for HBsAg in order to prevent mother-to-infant infection of HBV.
Keywords: HBV infection, HBeAg, HBsAG, hyper immune globulin