Prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B to babies at high risk: an evaluation

David Sloan1, Mary Ramsay, Leonie Prasad

  • 1Immunisation Department, Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ, UK.

Vaccine
|August 23, 2005
PubMed

We aimed to determine factors associated with successful vaccination coverage and development of infection in high-risk infants born to hepatitis B infected women. Immunisation of 860/932 (92%) of babies was started within 48 h of birth and three doses of vaccination completed for 794/921 (86%). Only 543 (58%) infants were tested and 26 (4.9%) were found to have evidence of current infection. Delayed start of immunisation was significantly associated with unbooked pregnancy, maternal hepatitis B e-markers and year. Current infection in the baby was strongly associated with maternal hepatitis B e-status, ethnicity and year of vaccination. The proportion of infants developing infection declined after 1998, coinciding with the publication of national recommendations and the wider use of the accelerated schedule.

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