Perinatal Hepatitis B

Kentucky’s Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program

Hepatitis B is an inflammatory liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus.  This results in liver cell damage that can lead to cirrhosis and an increased risk of liver cancer.  The goal of the Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (PHBPP) is to reduce the spread of the infection from the mother to her infant.  Preventing hepatitis B infection in early childhood is important.  Infants who become infected at birth have a 90 percent risk of chronic infection and up to 25 percent will die of chronic liver disease as adults.  More than 90 percent of these chronic infections can be prevented if the infant is treated soon after birth with a dose of hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine.

The perinatal hepatitis B program in Kentucky provides a case management system that serves HBsAg-positive women seen by private and public health care providers.  Kentucky Department for Public Health work closely with private physicians and their staff and local county health departments to insure that patients are informed about HBV.  Information is provided to household and sexual contacts to encourage testing and immunization of those identified.  The Kentucky Department for Public Health by working with local health departments help assures that infants of HBsAg-positive women receive the appropriate biologicals at birth and at the recommended times in infancy, as well as ensuring that titers are drawn following completion of the three-dose series of hepatitis B vaccine.

Diane S. Chism, R.N.
Perinatal Hepatitis B Coordinator
Department for Public Health
Immunization Program
(502) 564-4478 ext. 3513
Diane.Chism@ky.gov