Neonatal Hepatitis B Surface Antigenemia Detected Less than 24 Hours Post Immunization

Perinatal hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection occurs during delivery from an infected mother; it is associated with few or no symptoms at birth, but has a high risk of chronicsubclinical disease in later childhood or adulthood.

Up to 90% of infants infected perinatally will develop chronic infection. The risk of transmission is 70 to 90% from women seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B antigen at the time of delivery. Prenatal HBsAg screening is routinely offered early in the pregnancy or at delivery if the mother HBV status is unknown. Full term new-born born to mothers with unknown HBV status should receive the HBV vaccine soon after birth and HBV immunoglobulin (HBIG) if mother HBsAg is positive.

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