Hepatitis B and Mother-To-Child Transmission: turning awareness into action in maternal health

On World Hepatitis Day (July 28^th), attention turned to a disease that still affects millions of people worldwide, often silently and unevenly. For Hepatitis B, one of the most urgent areas of awareness is mother-to-child transmission, a route that can contribute to new infections when prevention services are not known, available, accessible, or fully implemented.

As Jessica Hicks, Senior Director at the World Hepatitis Alliance, explains, preventing mother-to-child transmission can become transformative for the Hepatitis B response when it is implemented at scale. The issue is not only clinical. It is also about equity, access, and the ability of health systems to reach women and newborns with timely information and appropriate preventive pathways.

This is why PMTCT, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission, has such a central role in the broader fight against Hepatitis B. With greater awareness, timely testing during pregnancy, and stronger maternal and newborn health services, countries can better address one of the most preventable drivers of new Hepatitis B infections.

The World Hepatitis Alliance has worked to support this shift through initiatives such as the white paper Mothers and babies can’t wait, which highlights the human impact of mother-to-child transmission and calls for maternal and child health services that are equitable, accessible, and available to those who need them. Building on this work, WHA has also developed practical resources to help civil society organizations drive forward recommendations in their own contexts.

The example of their implementations in Senegal shows why local action matters. In a context where the burden of Hepatitis B is high and access to PMTCT services can be limited by lack of awareness, distance from healthcare facilities, and out-of-pocket costs, community-based work can help reduce barriers. Through collaboration with local partners, healthcare workers, midwives, community leaders, and authorities can all contribute to making awareness more concrete and more actionable.

Kedrion has supported the World Hepatitis Alliance’s work on PMTCT through an unconditional educational grant, contributing to broader awareness around Hepatitis B and the importance of prevention for mothers and children.

*Source:
World Hepatitis Alliance White Paper on PMTCT