Hepatitis B and Your Child

Filed in archive Pregnancy on March 22, 2007

There's been a lot of talk in recent months regarding hepatitis B. What is hepatitis B?C The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety describes it this way:

Hepatitis B is an infectious liver disease. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Infections of hepatitis B occur only if the virus is able to enter the blood stream and reach the liver. Once in the liver, the virus reproduces and releases large numbers of new viruses into the bloodstream.

Mercola.com talks about how the disease is transmitted:

Hepatitis B is largely transmitted through exposure to bodily fluids containing the virus. There are only a few ways that you can get this infection:

• Unprotected sexual contact
  


• Blood transfusions
  


• Reuse of contaminated needles and syringes
  


• Vertical transmission from mother to child

It's the last one that's the big concern here. One thing that can be done is to vaccinate every newborn against the disease in case the mother is infected. A simpler solution would be to screen expectant mothers before they deliver.

Your Pregnancy blog suggests taking these precautions once you discover you're pregnant:

Get checked for hepatitis B and C, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV. These infections can be harmful to you and your baby. Tell your doctor if you or your sex partners have ever had an STD or HIV.