title: Prevention of perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission in an obstetric/infant population.
abstract: METHODS
  This retrospective study reviewed the screening practice and seroprevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among all mothers with live births at a teaching hospital in Montreal between November 1, 1990 and April 30, 1991.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most women (94%) were screened prenatally and 5.2% postnatally. Screening status could not be determined for 0.8% of women. One-quarter of all postnatal screening results were available only at 48 h or more postdelivery. No infants born to women with postnatal screening or to women with unknown screening status were immunized expectantly. The maternal seroprevalence was 1.08% (95% confidence interval from 0.6, 1.4). All 22 infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers had received hepatitis B immune globulin within 12 h of birth and the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 h. Follow-up of infants revealed that only 50% had received the second and third doses according to the recommended protocol, with 83% completing the immunization series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that a program of prenatal HBsAg screening and neonatal prophylaxis against hepatitis B can be successfully instituted in a high volume obstetric hospital, and that better monitoring of infants is required to ensure completion of vaccination.
authors.affiliation: McGill University Faculty of Medicine; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University and Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Montreal General Hospital; Infectious Disease and Microbiology, St Mary's Hospital; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St Mary's Hospital; and Research Unit, Jewish General Hospital, Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Gyorkos
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dylewski
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Franco