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Maternal‐infant transmission of hepatitis B in Egypt

In order to determine whether maternal‐infant (vertical) transmission of hepatitis B is a common route of infection leading to chronic antigenemia in Egypt, 901 asymptomatic women in labor were evaluated. Forty‐three women (4.8 percent) were positive for HBsAg, but only one woman was positive for HBeAg. From one year of observation of children born to 13 of the HBsAg‐positive mothers, vertical transmission of hepatitis B was estimated to have occurred in approximately 1.7% of births, with chronic antigenemia resulting from 0.6% of births. It was also possible to observe 29 children born to women negative for HBsAg. Horizontal transmission of hepatitis B occurred in 17.2 percent of these children during the first year of life. Maternal‐infant transmission of hepatitis B at birth does not appear to be the predominant mechanism of hepatitis B transmission or a common cause of chronic antigenemia in Egypt. The first year after birth appears to be a more important period of hepatitis B transmission. Therefore, vaccination of all children at birth with hepatitis B vaccine could be an effective vaccine strategy despite a low incidence of vertical hepatitis B transmission.