ABSTRACT
Background Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a significant public health problem. Most children under five years living with HBV in endemic areas like sub-Slivingan Africa. Vertical transmission is considered the main newborn's route of contamination, which leads in 90% of cases to the chronic stage of the disease. Objectives To determine the seroprevalence and identify risk factors of carrying hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) in pregnant women, assess biochemical parameters, and study the distribution of HBV genotypes among infected pregnant women in Lubumbashi. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive and experimental study in which 1711 pregnant women were recruited. The study took place in the hospital Jason Sendwe of Lubumbashi. A pre-established epidemiological survey form was used to collect data from the study population. Results The seroprevalence of HBV among pregnant women was 4.4%. Blood transfusion and unprotected sex have been associated with the risk of carrying HBsAg. Increased levels of bilirubin and transaminases were observed. The genotypes E (59.4%), A (40.6%), and a few drug resistance mutations were identified in the study population. Conclusion With an HBV seroprevalence of 4.4%, MTCT of HBV remains a public health concern in Lubumbashi. This result highlights the vital role of HBV screening in pregnant women and newborns and early HBV vaccination. In addition, the obtained HBV genotyping data could help better understand the local epidemiology of the disease, predict the outcome of the Antiviral therapy, and develop a mapping of HBV genotypes in Lubumbashi.