[Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis B virus. Towards the prevention of neonatal infection].

The risk of a mother transmitting hepatitis B virus infection to her child is virtually 100% when she develops acute HBs and HBe-positive hepatitis during the last three months of pregnancy or if she is a carrier of these two antigens while expecting the baby. The risk is lesser, though not negligible (20%) for children of mothers with HBs-positive and HBe-negative antigens. Most infants contaminated during the perinatal period become themselves carriers of the HBs antigen. Neonatal hepatitis can be prevented by either seroprophylaxis or immunization. To provide maximum and long-lasting protection for children born of HBs-positive mothers, the authors advocate a combination of hepatitis B vaccine and specific anti-HBs immunoglobuLins, the so-called serovaccination.