Overview
Perinatal hepatitis B is a significant public health concern, particularly in the African region, where children under five years of age have the highest prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection 1. Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV is crucial for reducing chronic infections and advancing global efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis 1.Diagnosis
Management
Hepatitis B birth-dose (HepB BD) vaccination is a key strategy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV infection 1.
Scaling-up HepB BD vaccination programs requires careful consideration of intervention design components that depend on end-user context and capabilities in accessing the vaccine 1.Special Populations
Pediatrics: The WHO African region has the highest prevalence of chronic HBV infection among children ≤5 years of age 1.Key Recommendations
Scaling-up hepatitis B birth-dose (HepB BD) vaccination could avert mother-to-child transmission of HBV infection and advance regional progress towards eliminating viral hepatitis 1. (Evidence: Moderate)
Countries introducing or scaling-up HepB BD vaccination programs should carefully consider intervention design components dependent on end-user context and capabilities in accessing the vaccine 1. (Evidence: Moderate)References
1 Solomon-Rakiep T, Olivier J, Amponsah-Dacosta E. Towards contextualized complex systems approaches to scaling-up hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination in the African region: a qualitative systematic review. Frontiers in public health 2024. link