Hepatitis B surface and e antigen seropositivity in mothers and cord blood at Port Moresby General Hospital: implications for a control program.

Analysis of 100 unselected paired maternal and cord blood samples showed 11 mothers to be HBsAg positive and 6 of these to be also HBeAg positive. 5 cord blood samples were HBsAg positive and 3 were HBeAg positive. Assuming a protective efficacy rate of 75%, the present plasma-derived hepatitis B virus vaccine control program is likely to prevent the perinatal acquisition of the hepatitis B virus carrier state in 27 per 1000 children. The addition of immunoglobulin prophylaxis would be likely to reduce this by another 5 per 1000, but its use does not appear practicable at the present time.