There are approximately 300,000 new cases in the U.S. each year, one third of which are acquired through perinatal or early childhood transmission.
Chronic carriers can develop chronic liver disease, cirrhosis of the liver, or primary liver cancer.
At this time, all pregnant women should have HBsAg testing as part of the prenatal profile. The strategies which follow are recommended as part of this program. If the woman's lifestyle or clinical symptoms are suspicious of acute hepatitis, additional HBsAg serology should be performed later in the pregnancy. Document the results of the HBsAg serology in the patient's prenatal record, hospital chart, and in the patient's immunization record card. MDH can provide cards to be used for this purpose.