Hbs antigen, what prevalence among pregnant women in Morocco? Preliminary results of a prospective study conducted in Hospital University Hassan II, Fez

Abstract

The chronic viral hepatitis B is a public health problem and remains a global challenge with 350 million carriers of HBs antigen (HBsAg). The prevalence of HBsAg varies from one country or continent to another. In France, it is estimated to be 0.5%. In Morocco, the data are rare but some studies have estimated the prevalence to be 2.5%. Our aim is to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg among women who have recently given birth at the maternity CHU Hassan II of Morocco Fez, and to describe the epidemiological profile and risk factors for infection. In pregnancy, infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is dominated by the risk of mother to child transmission (vertical transmission), which can be avoided by serovaccination of the newborn. The search for HBsAg should be performed in all pregnant women.