DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2014.v02i04.040

Pages: 1351-1354

Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) is one of the most important community health problems and also one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. The prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B infection varies widely in different parts of the world. HBV infection is transmitted sexually, parenterally and perinatally from mother to child. The objective of this prospective study, conducted over a period of one year, was to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B carriers in rural antenatal mothers registered at Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. The risk factors for HBV infection were also studied. Blood samples collected from the study populationunder standard procedure were investigated for Hepatitis Bsurface Antigen (HBsAg) by Rapid Immunochromatography test and positive samples were further confirmed by commercially available ELISA kit. Of the 1400 women who were recruited in this study, 54 (3.8%) tested positive to HBsAg, while 1346 were seronegative. Around 15% of the HBsAg seropositive women also tested positive for HBeAg. Early immunization of babies born from HBV infected mothers can prevent the risk of vertical transmission. The result of this study will help to identify HBsAg positive pregnant women and administer immunoprophylaxis to newborns of infected mothers, thus reducing the mother to child transmission risk. This emphasizes the need for mandatory HBsAg testing in pregnant mothers. Women of reproductive age should be involved in a routine vaccination schedule considering the high risk of HBsAg positivity in neonates through perinatal transmission.