Babies of HBsAg positive mothers should be immunised

Hepatitis B vaccine and immunoglobulin, solely or in combination, reduce hepatitis B occurrence in newborn infants of mothers seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). In a meta-analysis of 29 randomised controlled trials on newborns with vaccination or immunoglobulin in their first month of life, Lee and colleagues (p 328) found that immunisation against hepatitis B reduced the occurrence of infection. They found no significant differences between low dose and high dose vaccine nor recombinant and plasma derived vaccine, but vaccine plus immunoglobulin was superior to vaccine alone.

Credit: MARK THOMAS/SPL