Enhancing interventions for prevention of mother-to-child- transmission of hepatitis B virusKey points
Philippa C. Matthews,
Ponsiano Ocama,
Su Wang,
Manal El-Sayed,
Anna Turkova,
Deborah Ford,
Judith Torimiro,
Ana Cristina Garcia Ferreira,
Angélica Espinosa Miranda,
Fernando Pio De La Hoz Restrepo,
Emmanuel Seremba,
Robinson Mbu,
Calvin Q. Pan,
Homie Razavi,
Geoffrey Dusheiko,
C. Wendy Spearman,
Saeed Hamid
Affiliations
Philippa C. Matthews
The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Infection, University College London Hospitals, 235 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BU, UK; Corresponding author. Address: The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
Ponsiano Ocama
Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
Su Wang
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Florham Park, NJ, USA; Hepatitis B Foundation, Doylestown, PA, USA
Manal El-Sayed
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Anna Turkova
Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ, UK
Deborah Ford
Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, 90 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LJ, UK
Judith Torimiro
Chantal Biya International Reference Centre for Research on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
Ana Cristina Garcia Ferreira
Ministry of Health, Health Surveillance Department, Department of Chronic Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections, SRTVN Quadra 701, Lote D, PO700 Building, CEP: 70719-040, Brasília/DF, Brazil
Angélica Espinosa Miranda
Ministry of Health, Health Surveillance Department, Department of Chronic Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections, SRTVN Quadra 701, Lote D, PO700 Building, CEP: 70719-040, Brasília/DF, Brazil
Fernando Pio De La Hoz Restrepo
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
Emmanuel Seremba
Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
Robinson Mbu
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
Calvin Q. Pan
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NY, USA
Homie Razavi
Center for Disease Analysis Foundation, 1120 W South Boulder Rd Suite 102, Lafayette, CO 80026, USA
Geoffrey Dusheiko
Liver Unit, King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
C. Wendy Spearman
Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Saeed Hamid
Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Summary: Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a cornerstone of efforts to support progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis. Current guidelines recommend maternal screening, antiviral therapy during the third trimester of high-risk pregnancies, universal and timely HBV birth dose vaccination, and post-exposure prophylaxis with hepatitis B immunoglobulin for selected neonates. However, serological and molecular diagnostic testing, treatment and HBV vaccination are not consistently deployed, particularly in many high endemicity settings, and models predict that global targets for reduction in paediatric incidence will not be met by 2030. In this article, we briefly summarise the evidence for current practice and use this as a basis to discuss areas in which prevention of mother-to-child transmission can potentially be enhanced. By reducing health inequities, enhancing pragmatic use of resources, filling data gaps, developing advocacy and education, and seeking consistent investment from multilateral agencies, significant advances can be made to further reduce vertical transmission events, with wide health, societal and economic benefits.
