Retrospective review of documentation practices of hepatitis B immunoglobulin, birth dose, and vaccination at the hospital of birth, in Thai nationals and migrants in Northern Thailand

Background Vaccination remains the mainstay of prevention of hepatitis B virus (HBV) including birth dose and hepatitis B immunoglobulins (HBIGs). National estimates of vaccination coverage exclude migrants. The objective of this study is to investigate documentation practices of HBV-related infant vaccinations in Northern Thailand including migrants. Methods This is a retrospective review of hospital records of women who birthed infants in 2015 at Maharaj Nakorn Hospital, Chiang Mai (CM) or on the Thailand-Myanmar border, Tak. Results Of 2522 women, 987 were from CM (861 Thai nationals, 126 migrants) and 1535 were from Tak (651 Thai residence and 884 Myanmar residence). In CM, documentation for the birth dose vaccine (999 of 999, 100%) and HBIG was complete. In Tak, documentation was 1441 of 1549 (93%) for birth dose and 26 of 34 (76.5%) for HBIG, with missed opportunities including home delivery, delay in obtaining hepatitis B e-antigen status, and limitations of the records. Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) documentation of 3 follow-up vaccinations dwindled with subsequent doses and distance, and complete documentation of 3 HBV EPI vaccines at the hospital of birth was low, 41.5% (1056 of 2547), but equitable for Thai or migrant status. Conclusions This review provides strong support for excellent documentation of HBIG and birth dose vaccination in urban and rural settings, and in migrants, consistent with Thailand’s vaccination policy and practice. Documentation of the 3 HBV EPI at the hospital of birth decreases with sequential doses, especially in families further away. Innovative data linkage is required to prove coverage and identify gaps.</p

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus: protocol for a one-arm, open-label intervention study to estimate the optimal timing of tenofovir in pregnancy

INTRODUCTION:Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a public health threat and the main route of transmission is from mother to child (MTCT). Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment can reduce MTCT of HBV although the optimal timing to attain undetectable HBV DNA concentrations at delivery is unknown. This protocol describes the procedures following early initiation of maternal TDF prior to 20 weeks gestation to determine efficacy, safety and feasibility of this approach in a limited-resource setting. METHODS AND ANALYSES:One hundred and seventy pregnant women from the Thailand-Myanmar border between 12 and &lt;20 weeks gestational age will be enrolled into a one-arm, open-label, TDF treatment study with cessation of TDF 1&#x2009;month after delivery. Sampling occurs monthly prenatal, at birth and at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months post partum. Measurement of tenofovir concentrations in maternal and cord plasma is anticipated in 10-15 women who have detectable HBV DNA at delivery and matched to 20-30 women with no detectable HBV DNA. Infant HBsAg status will be determined at 2&#x2009;months of age and HBV DNA confirmed in HBsAg positive cases. Adverse events including risk of flare and adherence, based on pill count and questionnaire, will be monitored. Infants will receive HBV vaccinations at birth, 2, 4 and 6 months and hepatitis B immunoglobulin at birth if the mother is hepatitis B e antigen positive. Infant growth and neurodevelopment at 6&#x2009;months will be compared with established local norms. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:This study has ethical approval by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University (FTM ECF-019-06), Johns Hopkins University (IRB no: 00007432), Chiang Mai University (FAM-2559-04227), Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee (OxTREC Reference: 49-16) and by the local Tak Community Advisory Board (TCAB-02/REV/2016). The article will be published as an open-access publication. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:NCT02995005, Pre-results