Recommendations on the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of the Hepatitis B Virus: Compliance Survey at the Maternity Ward of the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala, Cameroon

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis B is an infectious disease of viral origin that results in inflammation of hepatocytes. Preventing vertical transmission of hepatitis B is the best way to combat this pathology. Objective: Our objective was to study the concordance of staff practices at the Laquintinie Hospital of Douala regarding the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the hepatitis B virus compared to international recommendations. Methodology: To this end, we conducted a descriptive study with prospective enrollment of participants with a retrospective review of their medical records from March 1 to April 30, 2023. All women who gave birth in this structure during the said period were included and the data were collected on a pre-tested technical sheet; The study variables were socio-demographic, obstetrical and clinical. Results: We approached 184 participants, 85.3% of whom (157/184) were retained in our study. The average age of the women was 28.93 ± 5.90 years with extremes of 17 and 44 years. The participants were mainly single, unemployed, and with a high school education. Among the pregnant women screened, 5.7% (9/157) were positive for HBsAg and 88.9% of them previously knew their HBV serological status. Only 21.7% (34/157) had vaccination coverage against hepatitis B. The reasons for not vaccinating the 123 others were the absence of information on the subject and the lack of financial means. Apart from the 8 women known to be carriers of HBsAg verified by presentation of a pre-existing assessment, we found that 92.6% (138/149) had carried out the screening test for viral hepatitis B. In 77.8% (7/9) of cases, women carrying HBsAg were made aware of the need for specialized monitoring after delivery. Furthermore, none of the patients with unknown Hepatitis B status at the time of delivery had been screened in the labor room. We did not find any cases of prophylactic cesarean section. All newborns were bathed at birth and serovaccinated within the recommended time frame. Conclusion: In view of international recommendations and our results, we can conclude overall that staff practices targeting PMTCT/HBV at Laquintinie Hospital in Douala are not optimal with most critical deficiencies found, such as the failure to screen women with unknown status during labor and the low rate of vaccination counseling for seronegative women.