Every day pregnant women living with hepatitis B undiagnosed unknowingly pass on hepatitis B to their babies, putting their child at higher risk of liver cancer. Without preventive measures, 90% of babies born to hepatitis B positive mothers develop a chronic hepatitis B infection.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 240 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B infection worldwide and over 1 million people die every year as a result of living with the disease.
Ending mother-to-child transmission is key to hepatitis elimination. The first step to achieving that is to test all pregnant women for hepatitis B as part of routine antenatal services. Women living with hepatitis B can then be linked to care and their babies vaccinated against hepatitis B. The hepatitis B vaccine is safe, effective and affordable. Despite this, only 27% of people living with chronic hepatitis B have been diagnosed and 45% of newborns received the hepatitis B birth vaccine within 24 hours of birth.
Our ask is simple:
Babies up to six months old who contract hepatitis B from mother-to-child transmission have a 90% risk of developing chronic hepatitis B infections, as opposed to 30% among children infected between one and four years old and less than 5% in otherwise healthy adults who contract the virus.
The WHO recommends, when possible, taking the steps below to adequately care for expectant mothers and protect their babies.
Help us guide women through hepatitis B in pregnancy by sharing the prevention of mother-to-child transmission flyers for mums and their families, and healthcare professionals.
If you or someone you know have been affected by viral hepatitis and are willing to share your story and tell the world what the prevention of mother-to-child transmission means to you then please get in touch so we can share your story.
You can contact us at connect@nohep.org.
