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Keywords:

Hepatitis B; infection; Pregnancy; Prevention, transmission route.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection Prevention in Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors

Sabastian Samuel Kwesi1 | Richard Abekah Kofi Sam2 | Emmanuel M.O. Bekoe3 | Dennis K. Twum4 | Cornelius Eshun5
Department of Public Health Education, Akenten Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana. 1 Department of Microbiology, Central Gonja District Hospital 2 Environmental Biology, Biotechnology and Health Division, Council for Scientific and Industiral Research- Water Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana 3 University for development Studies, School of medicine and health sciences 4 Department of Public Health Education, Akenten Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana. 5

Abstract

Context: The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a highly infectious virus that spreads through blood and other infected fluids such as semen. Individuals can be infected with the virus through sexual contact, by sharing needles or by a needle accident, by getting a body piercing or tattooing, and prenatally or at birth, if the mother is infected with the virus.

Evidence Acquisition: We searched medical databases (PubMed and Scopus) from January 2000 to January 2015.

Results: Based on our results, the transmission of HBV from the infected mother to her child during pregnancy is a critical way for the acquisition of the virus. The routine vaccination of neonates and the use of immunoglobulin at birth are very effective for the prevention of infection when a mother is infected. Also, the treatment of the infected mother to decrease the viral load is another preventive method for the protection of her child.

Conclusions: Our study showed that routine vaccination in children and screening of pregnant women for HBV infection and then preventative strategies for neonates are the most important routes for minimizing the transmission of infection from mother to child.

Article Details

Published

2024-08-22

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18535/raj.v7i08.435

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 08 (2024)

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Hepatitis B Virus Infection Prevention in Pregnant Women in Sub-Saharan Africa . (2024). Research and Analysis Journal, 7(08), 27-32. https://doi.org/10.18535/raj.v7i08.435