Efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine in susceptible spouses of chronic hepatitis B virus infected individuals at the time of marriage.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine in susceptible spouses at the time of marriage.

Methods: From April 2003 to December 2005, 60 cases of susceptible wives of infected husbands and 32 cases of susceptible husbands of the infected wives in Babol north of Iran, received recombinant hepatitis B (HB) vaccine at the time of marriage followed with the second and third doses at 1, and 6 months. Post vaccination tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs and anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) were assessed 2 months of the later dose.