Effect of intervention for preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B and influencing factors in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 2021

Objective To evaluate the effect of preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia), and analyze the main influencing factors.

Methods Infants mothered by hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive women in Ningxia in 2021 were injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) as soon as possible within 12 hours after birth. After the completion of full course hepatitis B vaccination based on immunization schedule of 0-1-6 months. Venous blood samples were collected from the infants within 1–2 months for the detection of 5 serologic markers of HBV, and a questionnaire survey was conducted.

Results In 1 059 infants with vertical HBV exposure, the timely first dose vaccination rate and full dose vaccination rate against hepatitis B were 99.62% and 100.00%, respectively, and the injection rate of HBIG and timely injection rate of HBIG were 100.00% and 99.72%, respectively. The positive rates of HBsAg and hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) in the infants were 1.32% and 92.07%, respectively. Mother being hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) positive was a risk factor for mother-to-child HBV transmission in the infants odds ratio (OR)=4.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.50–15.47. Maternal testing time and infant's age were the main factors affecting HBsAb status in the infants. The positive rate of HBsAb in the infants aged 7–12 months was 3.83 times higher than that in the infants aged 12–18 months (OR=3.83, 95%CI: 2.36–6.21). The HBsAb positive rate in the infants born to mothers tested in the first and second trimesters was 4.56 times and 3.51 times higher than that in the infants born to mothers tested in the third trimester (OR=4.56, 95%CI: 2.77–7.50; OR=3.51, 95%CI: 1.64–7.53).

Conclusion Hepatitis B vaccination and HBIG injection have good effects on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. It is necessary to strengthen the intervention in HBeAg-positive pregnant women and their infants and monitor or evaluate the immunization effect in infants with vertical HBV exposure in time.