Even the post-vaccination testing of infants from HBV positive mothers is provided in less than half of centre leads to late start of antiviral therapy in women with high HBV-DNA levels and inconsistency is reported across all centres on the timing of the HBV vaccine schedule.
‘Proper adherence to protocol prevents mother-to-child transmission of HBV infection.’
Lead author on the research, Michele Pinon from the University of Turin, commented: ‘This survey provides a strong indication that significant variance and gaps exist in hospital policies and procedures to prevent direct mother-to-child transmission of HBV across Europe. There is a clear need to implement a multidisciplinary clinical pathway involving obstetricians, neonatologists, and hepatologists, with a stronger connection between the phases before, during and after birth’.
This research identifies the barriers and challenges in prevention protocols is considered as key step in obtaining the desired outcome by adhering to international guidelines across European countries for eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030.
Source: Medindia
