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© 1985 Oxford University Press

research-article

Maternal-Child Hepatitis B Virus Transmission in Singapore

S H CHAN*, K L TAN**, K T GOH{dagger}, C LIM{ddagger}, M TSAKOK{ddagger}, C J OON§ and S S RATNAM{ddagger}

*World Health Organization, Immunology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore Sepoy Lines, Singapore 0316
**Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore
{dagger}Quarantine Section and Epidemiology Department, Ministry of Environment Singapore
{ddagger}Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore
§Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Chan S H (WHO Immunology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Sepoy Lines, Singapore 0316), Tan K L, Goh K T, Lim C, Tsakok M, Oon C J and Ratnam S S. Maternal-child hepatitis B virus transmission in Singapore. International Journal of Epidemiology 1985, 14: 173–177.

A study of maternal-infant transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was conducted in Singapore between June 1980 and June 1982. HBsAg carrier rate was highest among Chinese (6.2%) followed by Malay (2.3%) and Indian (0.6%) mothers. The presence of HBeAg in maternal sera correlated well with high titre HBsAg (p=7.34x10–5). Overall HBV transmission occurred in 27/56 (48.2%) infants from carrier mothers. The majority of the transmission was perinatal. There was a very strong correlation between transmission and HBeAg status of the mother (p=1.85x10–9; odds ratio=68.44) and to a lesser extent with high titre HBsAg (p=0.002; odds ratio =6.38). A strong negative correlation was seen between transmission and anti-HBeAg (p=8.19x10–7; odds ratio=0.04). At one year 19 (70.4%) infants were still HBsAg positive while seven (25.9%) lost the antigenemia and acquired anti-HBsAg and one developed HBsAg after one year. It could be calculated that perinatal HBV transmission contributed about 18% to the total pool of HBsAg positive infants of one year of age.

Revised 1 January 1984


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