The Silent Epidemic in Maternal Health: Why more Pregnant Women need Hepatitis B Screening
The article emphasizes the urgent need for routine Hepatitis B screening for pregnant women globally, particularly in Africa, to prevent vertical transmission to infants and improve maternal and child health outcomes. Many people remain unaware of their chronic infection, leading to late diagnosis and serious complications.
Why it matters
Early detection of Hepatitis B in pregnant women is crucial for preventing severe liver disease in mothers and significantly reducing the transmission of the virus to newborns, thereby improving public health and reducing healthcare costs worldwide.
Millions of people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B infection, yet many remain unaware of their infection. Picture by El Pais JOHANNESBURG, PAV – A pregnant woman attending her first antenatal care (ANC) appointment will often be screened for conditions that could affect her health and the health of her unborn child, including HIV and syphilis, but not always for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This is not because hepatitis B is rare; in fact, quite the opposite. Millions of people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B infection, yet many remain unaware of their infection because the disease can progress silently for years without symptoms. As a result, infection is often diagnosed only after serious liver complications develop. Late diagnosis increases healthcare costs, may limit treatment options and contributes to preventable illness and death.
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