Hepatitis B core-related antigen rapid diagnostic test for point-of-care identification of women at high risk of hepatitis B vertical transmission: a multicountry diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Timely administration of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) birth dose vaccine, along with identifying high-risk pregnant individuals for antiviral prophylaxis, is essential for the global elimination of vertical transmission of HBV. However, in resource-limited settings, access to HBV DNA testing is scarce, and accurate rapid tests for HBeAg are lacking. We aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of a newly developed hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to identify women who are HBsAg-positive and eligible for antiviral prophylaxis.

Residual risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus infection despite timely birth-dose vaccination in Cameroon (ANRS 12303): a single-centre, longitudinal observational study.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, administration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) birth-dose vaccines remains suboptimal. Evidence is scarce on whether African countries should focus on increasing vaccine coverage or developing strategies incorporating additional measures, such as peripartum antiviral prophylaxis to pregnant women at high risk. To better inform decision makers, we estimated the residual risk of mother-to-child transmission despite HBV birth-dose vaccine in Cameroon.