The elimination of perinatal hepatitis B transmission—transmission of the virus from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth—is one of the four overarching goals of the national Viral Hepatitis Action Plan. With fewer than 1,000 estimated cases of perinatal HBV infection occurring each year in the U.S., many see elimination as an achievable goal.
Toward that end, the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP) convened a technical consultation on September 29, 2015 focused on this goal. In recognition of the fact that stakeholders from many sectors must be engaged in coordinated efforts in order to achieve this goal, we assembled a multidisciplinary group of experts for a full day of discussion designed to share best practices and to identify and better understand the challenges that remain so we can strategize collectively about how to address them. The consultation participants [PDF 173 KB] included representatives of professional medical societies, health departments, and advocacy networks as well as colleagues from numerous federal agencies whose work touches on this issue.
Read more...Labels: hepatitis B transmission, mother-to-child prevention, mother-to-child transmission