Characteristics of Pregnant Women With Hepatitis B Virus Infection in 5 US Public Health Jurisdictions, 2008-2012.

OBJECTIVE: We estimated the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a serologic marker of active hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, among pregnant women, and estimated the proportion HBsAg-positive pregnant women who had received additional recommended testing. METHODS: From 2008 through 2012, Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Programs (PHBPPs) in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York City, and Texas prospectively collected data on demographic characteristics of HBsAg-positive pregnant women. We estimated the prevalence of HBsAg positivity among pregnant women by demographic characteristics using natality data. PHBPPs (excluding Texas) collected additional recommended testing (for hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] and/or HBV deoxyribonucleic acid [DNA]) among HBsAg-positive pregnant women to measure levels of viremia. RESULTS: During the study period, 15,205 HBsAg-positive women were case-managed. The median age of HBsAg-positive women was 29 years; prenatal HBsAg screening was at a median of 27 weeks pre-delivery. Of 15,205 HBsAg-positive women, 11,293 (74.3%) were foreign-born. In four PHBPPs with 14,098 pregnancies among 12,214 HBsAg-positive women, HBeAg and/or HBV DNA testing was documented for 2,794 (19.8%) pregnancies. The estimated prevalence of HBsAg positivity among pregnant women was 0.38% (17,023 of 4,468,773). HBsAg prevalence was highest among foreign-born women from most regions in Asia (2.0% to 8.7%; with the exception of South Asia, 0.4%) and Africa (3.4%). CONCLUSION: One-fifth of HBsAg-positive pregnant women had documentation for HBeAg and/or HBV DNA, and about one-third reported receiving care for HBV infection during a case-managed pregnancy. Greater emphasis is needed on prenatal evaluation for HBV liver disease care and treatment among pregnant women with HBV infection.

Outcomes of infants born to women infected with hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perinatal exposure is an important mode of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission, resulting in chronic disease in ∼ 90% of infected infants. Immunoprophylaxis recommended for infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers reduces up to 95% of perinatal HBV infections. We sought to identify factors associated with perinatal HBV transmission. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected data from 5 of 64 US-funded Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Programs during 2007-2013. We examined effects of maternal demographic and laboratory results, infant gestational age and birth weight, and immunoprophylactic management on perinatal HBV infection. RESULTS: Data from 17,951 mother-infant pairs were analyzed. Among 9252 (51.5%) infants for whom hepatitis B surface antigen testing results were available, 100 (1.1%) acquired perinatal HBV infection. Both hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin were administered within 12 hours of birth for 10,760 (94.9%) of 11,335 infants with information. Perinatal HBV infection was associated with younger maternal age (P = .01), Asian/Pacific Islander race (P < .01), maternal hepatitis B e-antigen positivity (P < .01), maternal antibody to hepatitis B e-antigen negativity (P < .01), maternal viral load ≥ 2000 IU/mL (P = .04), and infant receipt of <3 HepB vaccine doses (P = .01). Four infants born to 429 mothers with viral load testing were infected; all 4 were born to mothers with viral loads in the ninth or tenth decile. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal HBV infection occurred among 1% of infants, most of whom received recommended immunoprophylaxis. Infants at greatest risk of infection were those born to women who were younger, hepatitis B e-antigen positive, or who had a high viral load or those infants who received <3 HepB vaccine doses.

Notes from the field: Outbreak of pertussis in a school and religious community averse to health care and vaccinations--columbia County, Florida, 2013.

On August 30, 2013, the Florida Department of Health in Columbia County was notified of a Bordetella pertussis laboratory-positive unimmunized child attending a local charter school (316 students from pre-K through 8th grade) in a large religious community averse to health care and vaccinations. Kindergarten immunization records showed that only five (15%) of 34 students were fully immunized with pertussis-antigen-containing vaccines. In seventh grade, only one (5%) of 22 students was fully immunized with pertussis-antigen-containing vaccines. Of the children who were not fully immunized in these two grades, 84% had religious exemptions.

Hepatitis B vaccine response among infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive women.

PURPOSE: Annually, an estimated 25,000 infants are born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive women in the United States. Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) are recommended at birth, followed by completion of vaccine series and post-vaccination serologic testing (PVST). In a large cohort of infants born to HBsAg-positive women, factors influencing vaccine response were evaluated. METHODS: Data were from HBsAg-negative infants born to HBsAg-positive women in the Enhanced Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (EPHBPP) from 2008 to 2013. Vaccine non-responders were defined as infants with antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) <10mIU/mL at PVST after receiving ≥3 vaccine doses. Multivariable analyses modeled statistically significant predictor variables associated with non-response. RESULTS: A total of 17,951 maternal-infant pairs were enrolled; 8654 HBsAg-negative infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers received ≥3 doses of vaccine with anti-HBs results. 8199 (94.7%) infants responded to a primary HepB series; 199 (94.8%) to a second series. Factors associated with anti-HBs <10mIU/mL included gestational age <37 weeks, vaccine birth dose >12h after birth, timing of final vaccine dose <6 months after birth, receipt of 3 vs. 4 vaccine doses, and PVST interval >6 months from final vaccine dose in bivariate analysis. PVST interval >6 months from final vaccine dose (OR=2.7, CI=2.0, 3.6) was significantly associated with anti-HBs <10mIU/mL; the proportion increased from 2% at 1-2 months to 21.6% at 15-16 months after the final dose. Receipt of a 4th dose improved the response rate (OR=0.5, CI=0.3, 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: Ninety-five percent of a large cohort of uninfected infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers in the United States responded to primary HepB vaccine series. The proportion of infants with anti-HBs <10mIU/mL increased with longer interval between the final vaccine dose and PVST. Optimal timing of PVST is within 1-2 months of final vaccine dose to avoid unnecessary revaccination.