Trends in Hepatitis B Surveillance Among Pregnant Women in New York City, 1998-2015.

Objective: Infants born to women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are at high risk for chronic HBV infection and premature death. We examined epidemiologic trends among women with HBV infection who gave birth in New York City (NYC) to inform public health prevention activities.

Methods: We obtained data on HBV-infected women residing and giving birth in NYC during 1998-2015 from the NYC Perinatal HBV Prevention Program. We obtained citywide birth data from the NYC Office of Vital Statistics. We calculated the incidence of births to HBV-infected women per 100 000 live births and stratified by maternal race, birthplace, and age. We calculated annual percentage change (APC) in incidence of births to HBV-infected women by using joinpoint regression.

Results: Of 29 896 HBV-infected women included in the study, 28 195 (94.3%) were non-US-born, of whom 16 600 (58.9%) were born in China. Overall incidence of births to HBV-infected women per 100 000 live births increased from 1156 in 1998 to 1573 in 2006 (APC = 3.1%; < .001) but declined to 1329 in 2015 (APC = -1.4%; = .02). Incidence among US-born women declined from 1998 to 2015 (330 to 84; APC = -7.3%; < .001) and among non-US-born women increased from 1998 to 2007 (1877 to 2864; APC = 3.6%; < .001) but not thereafter. Incidence among women born in China increased from 1998 to 2006 (13 275 to 16 480; APC = 1.8%; = .02) but decreased to 12 631 through 2015 (APC = -3.3%; < .001).

Conclusions: The incidence of births to HBV-infected women in NYC declined significantly among US-born women but not among non-US-born women, highlighting the need for successful vaccination programs worldwide.