Characteristics of Pregnant Women With Hepatitis B Virus Infection in 5 US Public Health Jurisdictions, 2008-2012.

Objective: We estimated the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), a serologic marker of active hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, among pregnant women, and estimated the proportion HBsAg-positive pregnant women who had received additional recommended testing.

Methods: From 2008 through 2012, Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Programs (PHBPPs) in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York City, and Texas prospectively collected data on demographic characteristics of HBsAg-positive pregnant women. We estimated the prevalence of HBsAg positivity among pregnant women by demographic characteristics using natality data.

Sustained Transmission of Pertussis in Vaccinated, 1-5-Year-Old Children in a Preschool, Florida, USA.

In September 2013, local county health officials in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, were notified of a laboratory-confirmed pertussis case in a 1-year-old preschool attendee. During a 5-month period, 26 (22%) students 1–5 years of age, 2 staff from the same preschool, and 11 family members met the national case definition for pertussis. Four persons during this outbreak were hospitalized for clinical management of pertussis symptoms.

Outcomes of infants born to women infected with hepatitis B.

Background And Objectives: Perinatal exposure is an important mode of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission, resulting in chronic disease in ∼ 90% of infected infants. Immunoprophylaxis recommended for infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers reduces up to 95% of perinatal HBV infections. We sought to identify factors associated with perinatal HBV transmission.

Notes from the field: Outbreak of pertussis in a school and religious community averse to health care and vaccinations--columbia County, Florida, 2013.

On August 30, 2013, the Florida Department of Health in Columbia County was notified of a Bordetella pertussis laboratory-positive unimmunized child attending a local charter school (316 students from pre-K through 8th grade) in a large religious community averse to health care and vaccinations. Kindergarten immunization records showed that only five (15%) of 34 students were fully immunized with pertussis-antigen-containing vaccines. In seventh grade, only one (5%) of 22 students was fully immunized with pertussis-antigen-containing vaccines.

Hepatitis B vaccine response among infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive women.

Purpose: Annually, an estimated 25,000 infants are born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive women in the United States. Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) are recommended at birth, followed by completion of vaccine series and post-vaccination serologic testing (PVST). In a large cohort of infants born to HBsAg-positive women, factors influencing vaccine response were evaluated.