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The CDC recommends that pregnant women be screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and that infants of HBV-positive mothers receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg) and vaccine within 12 hours of birth. To evaluate the effectiveness of these practices in a community setting, investigators examined data from a perinatal immunoprophylaxis program at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
Between 1997 and 2010, 4446 infants were born to mothers who tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg); 87% of these infants received HBIg and hepatitis B vaccine on schedule. Of 3353 children who underwent follow-up testing by January 2012, 25 (0.75%) were HBsAg positive; all had received HBIg and vaccine within or close to the recommende…