Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B
Resources for Healthcare Providers, Community Organizations, and Public Health Programs
Hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth. Without timely prevention, up to 90% of infants infected around the time of birth may develop chronic hepatitis B, placing them at risk for lifelong liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.
Fortunately, mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is preventable.
Effective prevention requires a comprehensive approach, including hepatitis B screening during antenatal care, appropriate maternal antiviral prophylaxis, timely hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination within 24 hours of birth, completion of the infant vaccination series, and ongoing follow-up and care.
The African Hepatitis B Advocacy Coalition (ABAC) has compiled evidence-based guidelines, educational materials, training opportunities, and practical implementation tools to support healthcare workers, community organizations, advocates, and public health programs working to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B across Africa.
Explore the resources below to strengthen maternal and newborn hepatitis B prevention in your community.
Resources for Health Care Workers
Explore evidence-based clinical guidelines, educational materials, and practical tools to support the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. These resources cover antenatal screening, maternal antiviral treatment, timely hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, infant immunization, and follow-up care, with an emphasis on implementation in African healthcare settings.
WHO Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, Care and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection (2024)
The World Health Organization’s updated guidelines provide recommendations for hepatitis B screening, treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, including maternal antiviral prophylaxis and approaches to care in resource-limited settings.
Access the WHO Guidelines (2024)
WHO Guide for Introducing Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccination
This WHO guide provides practical recommendations for introducing and strengthening hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination programs, including planning, healthcare worker training, vaccine delivery, and strategies to improve timely vaccination within 24 hours of birth.
Access the WHO Birth-Dose Vaccination Guide
WHO Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus: Guidelines on Antiviral Prophylaxis in Pregnancy (2020)
These WHO guidelines provide evidence and recommendations for using antiviral prophylaxis during pregnancy to reduce mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, including the use of tenofovir and assessment of maternal viral load. This resource provides useful background alongside the updated WHO 2024 hepatitis B guidelines.
Access the WHO Antiviral Prophylaxis Guidelines
CDC Clinical Guidance for Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention
This resource provides healthcare professionals with practical guidance on hepatitis B screening during pregnancy, maternal testing and referral, coordination of care, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission.The guidance is based on US recommendations and should be used alongside WHO guidelines and applicable national protocols.
Access CDC Perinatal Hepatitis B Clinical Guidance
WHO Practices to Improve Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccination Coverage
This WHO resource provides practical strategies to improve timely hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, including strengthening coordination between maternity and immunization services, training healthcare workers, increasing community awareness, and improving vaccine availability at delivery sites.The resource is particularly relevant for healthcare facilities and immunization programs working to expand birth-dose coverage in low-resource settings.
Preventing Perinatal Transmission B Informed Training Modules
To learn all things related to prevention of perinatal transmission for hepatitis B view the free training modules at the Be Informed Training Hub. This certificate program also provides modules on hepatitis B, hepatitis delta and finding funding for public health programs.
Need print out flyers or handouts?
Check out the Hepatitis B Foundation Prevention resources here.