Mother to child transmission of hepatitis B virus in the Philippines

A follow-up study of mother to infant transmission of hepatitis B virus was conducted in the Philippines between 1981 and 1983. The prevalence of HBsAg among 527 mothers was 8.5%. Overall, seven out of 17 (41.2%) infants born to HBsAg carrier mothers became HBsAg positive within the first 12 months of life. The risk of becoming HBsAg positive was about 20 times higher for infants born to HBsAg positive mothers than for infants born to HBsAg negative mothers (OR=18.9, 95% Ci=2.0-86.6). The risk was even higher if the mother was a carrier of both HBsAg und HBeAg (OR=91.0, 95% Ci=49.2-164.8). However, the risk of transmission was very low if the mother was an HBsAg carrier and anti-HBe positive. It was estimated that mother to infant transmission accounts for about one third of HBsAg positivity at one year of age. The implications of these findings in the planning of vaccination campaigns to prevent HBV infections are discussed.