Hepatitis B infection (HBsAg and HBeAg) status among women attending antenatal care at public healthcare facilities of South Africa, 2017.

ABSTRACT: Eight years after WHO adopted a resolution to eliminate hepatitis B by the year 2030, the disease remains a global public health concern, with vertical transmission of HBV being a major obstacle to this goal. Our study aimed to determine the HBV infection status of pregnant women in South Africa at a national level to evaluate the risk of vertical transmission and provide evidence for public health decision-making. We conducted HBsAg testing on 1,942 HIV-uninfected and 2,312 HIV-infected pregnant women from South Africa's public health sector in 2017, followed by HBeAg testing on HBsAg-positive samples. Our data were stratified by five-year age groups and province. The overall HBV prevalence was 11.24% (478/4,254), significantly higher among HIV-infected women (15.83%) compared to HIV-unin

SUBMITTER: Moonsamy S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11753652 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature