I often meet friends and ask whether hepatitis B mothers can breast-feed and infect children. In fact, hepatitis B mothers do not have too many special features. After doing some medical measures, they are no different from ordinary mothers.
The following is a summary of frequently asked questions and answers.
1. Can hepatitis B mothers breast-feed?
At present, the consensus in the medical field is that no matter whether the mother is [big three positive] or [small three positive], as long as the newborn receives hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and hepatitis B vaccine injection within 12 hours after birth, it can obtain a high protection rate, and the possibility of contracting hepatitis B is very small. Therefore, breast feeding is advocated.
2. What is the protection rate of combined immunization blocking?
Combined immunization is to inject hepatitis B immunoglobulin and hepatitis B vaccine into newborns at the same time. The protection rate of blocking mother-to-child transmission is as high as 93-97%, and successful examples are everywhere. On the contrary, if the newborns are not blocked by combined immunization, 90% of the newborns delivered by HBsAg positive mothers will eventually be infected with hepatitis B.
Can expectant mothers inject HBIG to protect their babies?
There were obstetricians and gynecologists in our country who believed after studying that, HBIG injection after 28 weeks of pregnancy can reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). However, these studies have not been strictly scientifically demonstrated, and there are still some health risks for mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus by injection of hepatitis B immunoglobulin. Therefore, WHO and China’s Ministry of Health have not recommended this method to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV.
4. Will the baby still be infected after combined immunization?
About a month after the vaccine injection is completed, parents need to take their children to the hospital for blood tests and check the antibody content of hepatitis B virus. If the antibody concentration is low, it is necessary to strengthen the vaccination of a shot of vaccine. This examination can be completed within about 7 months to 1 year old.
5. Can cesarean section prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B?
As long as newborns receive standardized combined immunization, cesarean section is the same as the risk of infection of hepatitis B by infants born in comparison with normal delivery. At present, most international obstetric guidelines do not recommend cesarean section to prevent mother-to-child transmission of perinatal hepatitis B virus. The cesarean section is the right one, the dissection is the right one, and there is no need to tangle with the problem of infection.
6. Under what circumstances are babies more susceptible to infection?
The study found that the main reason for the failure was the high virus content in the mother’s body, which is professionally called high viral load (> 108 copies/ml). Therefore, if patients with high virus content plan to become pregnant, it is recommended to discuss with the doctor and formulate a careful treatment plan, and then become pregnant when the time is ripe.
Responsible Editor: Ding Ruoshui