What are the chances of hep b to be transferred from a mother(if she isn’t actively infected) to infant? Is into late if the mom has hep b and baby gets vaccinated 2 days(48 hours) later?
Dear @ZiiTR,
From WHO (Hepatitis: Preventing mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus):
In the absence of any preventive interventions, the risk of transmission from mother to child ranges from 70% to 90% for mothers with high HBV viral load (or are HBeAg-positive) and from 10% to 40% for those that are HBeAg negative. These high maternal concentrations of HBV DNA (viral load) are associated with an elevated risk of transmission, even among infants who receive the hepatitis B vaccine.
We know that if the mother has anti-HBs, the risk of transmission is EXTREMELY LOW. Vaccination of the infant reduces this risk even more.
2 Likes
Hi,
below is what you wrote.
These high maternal concentrations of HBV DNA (viral load) are associated with an elevated risk of transmission, even among infants who receive the hepatitis B vaccine.
You mean, hep b vaccine for infant is not 100% protected? in the event the mother has high viral load?
I believe that is the case @catcher.007, which is why some mothers are recommended to take antivirals prior to birth to limit the risk.
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
thank you for your comment.
I have 3 kids who have been vaccinated at birth but the second one has chronic hbv. This explains why. I thought the vaccination at birth will give 100% protection. I was not told about this 24 years ago.