Alaska's Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program

Alaska's perinatal Hepatitis B program is managed through our immunization Nurse Consultant and is designed to identify, track, educate and continue to further prevent Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection.

Perinatal HBV transmission can be prevented by identifying HBV-infected (i.e., Hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive) pregnant women and providing Hepatitis B immune globulin and Hepatitis B vaccine to their infants within 12 hours of birth. HBV infection in a pregnant woman poses a serious risk to her infant at birth. Without postexposure immunoprophylaxis, approximately 40% of infants born to HBV-infected mothers in the United States will develop chronic HBV infection, approximately one-fourth of whom will eventually die from chronic liver disease.

Alaska Perinatal Hepatitis B Manual

National guidelines call for the following:

• Universal screening of pregnant women for HBsAg during each pregnancy
• Case management of HBsAg-positive mothers and their infants
• Provision of immunoprophylaxis for infants born to infected mothers, including Hepatitis B vaccine and Hepatitis B immune globulin
• Routine vaccination of all infants with the Hepatitis B vaccine series, with the first dose administered at birth

Forms and Resources

• Physician Reporting Form
• Hospital Reporting Form
• Alaska Pediatric Guide
• CDC Prenatal Algorithm
• CDC Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention
• Hep B Moms
• Immunization Action Coalitions: Give birth to the end of Hep B