Hepatitis B mother-to-child transmission interruption measures

Every year, 140,000 to 160,000 pregnant women with hepatitis B virus infection give birth in China, and their rates of preterm delivery, hemorrhage, neonatal birth defects and other adverse pregnancy outcomes are higher than those of ordinary pregnant women. If no interruption measures are taken, 60% of children born to these pregnant women can be infected with hepatitis B virus within two years, and 95% of children born to e antigen-positive mothers are surface antigen positive within one year. In China, mother-to-child transmission has become the main route of hepatitis B transmission, and the responsibility of preventing hepatitis B transmission therefore falls on the shoulders of obstetricians and gynecologists. The main measures for mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B are as follows: i. Specific preventive interruption methods. Active immunization method – hepatitis B vaccination, vaccination against hepatitis B is the most effective way to prevent hepatitis B infection. Passive immunization method – hepatitis B immunoglobulin injection for newborns. The protection rate of blocking mother-to-child transmission by immunization with hepatitis B vaccine alone is 87.8%, and the protection rate of blocking mother-to-child transmission by combined immunization with high-valent hepatitis B immunoglobulin and hepatitis B vaccine is 95%-97%. The 2010 Chinese guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B state that for newborns of HBsAg-positive mothers, hepatitis B immunoglobulin should be administered as early as possible within 24 hours of birth (preferably within 12 hours of birth, and the dose should be ≥100 IU), along with recombinant yeast or Chinese hamster oocyte hepatitis B vaccine at different sites. Vaccination with the 2nd and 3rd doses of hepatitis B at 1 and 6 months of age, respectively, significantly improves the effectiveness of interruption of mother-to-child transmission. The annual American Liver Conference, the annual European Liver Conference, and the annual Asia-Pacific Liver Conference all recommend that appropriate management processes be established for women of childbearing age with chronic hepatitis B. Combined hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin prophylaxis should be selected for infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers. Second, non-specific preventive measures, including pre-birth counseling and assessment, development of a birth plan, and supervision and psychological care during pregnancy. During pregnancy, avoid abdominal collision compression and shock, protect the integrity of the placental barrier, and avoid amniocentesis as much as possible. During labor and delivery prevent birth canal injury, reduce neonatal birth injury, asphyxia and amniotic fluid aspiration, shorten delivery time, and minimize exposure of the newborn to maternal blood. After delivery, the newborn should be quickly removed from the contaminated environment and can be immediately washed with flowing warm water to reduce the chance of infection. Third, additional blocking measures – nucleoside antiviral therapy. Despite immunizations and injections of high-valent hepatitis B immunoglobulin, about 5% of newborns will still be infected with hepatitis B. This is a new infection occurring through intrauterine transmission, and intrauterine infection becomes a bottleneck for mother-to-child interruption of hepatitis B. Continuous exposure to high viral load HBV-DNA is the most important determinant of neonatal infection. Antiviral drugs can effectively inhibit hepatitis virus replication, reduce viral load, and decrease intrauterine transmission. Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B state that, depending on the extent of the disease, antiviral medication may be used in the presence of a hepatitis B episode in pregnancy, with adequate notification of the risks, weighing of the pros and cons, and signed informed consent by the patient