Ethical issues in preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B by immunisation

Vaccine

Volumn 29, Issue 37, 2011, Pages 6159-6162

  Isaacs, David ^a,b   Kilham, Henry A ^a,b   Alexander, Shirley ^a   Wood, Nick ^a   Buckmaster, Adam ^c,d   Royle, Jenny ^e  

^a CHILDREN S HOSPITAL AT WESTMEAD   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY   (Australia)

^c GOSFORD HOSPITAL   (Australia)

^d UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE   (Australia)

^e ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL   (Australia)

Author keywords

Autonomy; Best interests; Bioethics; Compulsory immunisation; Immunoglobulin; Jehovah's Witness; Vaccine

Indexed keywords

ANTIGEN; HEPATITIS B VACCINE; IMMUNOGLOBULIN;

ARTICLE; FEMALE; HEPATITIS B; HUMAN; IMMUNIZATION; JEHOVAH'S WITNESS; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MEDICAL ETHICS; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RISK FACTOR; VERTICAL TRANSMISSION; VIRUS CARRIER;

ADULT; CARRIER STATE; FEMALE; HEPATITIS B; HEPATITIS B ANTIBODIES; HEPATITIS B E ANTIGENS; HEPATITIS B VACCINES; HUMANS; IMMUNIZATION; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; INFANT, NEWBORN; INFECTIOUS DISEASE TRANSMISSION, VERTICAL; LIVER CIRRHOSIS; LIVER NEOPLASMS; MOTHERS; PREGNANCY; PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS, INFECTIOUS; RISK; TREATMENT REFUSAL;

EID: 80051574372     PISSN: 0264410X     EISSN: 18732518     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.06.065     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. Hodges F.M., Svoboda J.S., Van Howe R.S. Prophylactic interventions on children: balancing human rights with public health. J Med Ethics 2002, 28:10-16.
2. Zanetti A.R., Mariano A., Romanò L., D'Amelio R., Chironna M., Coppola R.C., et al. Long-term immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccination and policy for booster: an Italian multicentre study. Lancet 2005, 366:1379-1384.
3. Hepatitis B. In: The Australian Immunisation Handbook 9th edition. Commonwealth Government, Canberra; 2008. Link: [accessed 11.04.11]. http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook-hepatitisb.
4. Isaacs D., Kilham H., Leask J., Tobin B. Ethical issues in immunisation. Vaccine 2009, 27:615-618.
5. Lee C., Gong Y., Brok J., Boxall E.H., Gluud C. Hepatitis B immunisation for newborn infants of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006, (2). Art. No.: CD004790. 10.1002/14651858.CD004790.pub2.
6. Lee C., Gong Y., Brok J., Boxall E.H., Gluud C. Effect of hepatitis B immunisation in newborn infants of mothers positive for hepatitis B surface antigen: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2006, 332:328-336.
7. Okada K., Kamiyama I., Inomata M., Imai M., Miyakawa Y. e-antigen and anti-e in the serum of asymptomatic carrier mothers as indicators of positive and negative transmission to their infants. N Engl J Med 1976, 294:360-363.
8. Beasley R.P., Trepo C., Stevens C.E., Szmuness W. The e antigen and vertical transmission of hepatitis B surface antigen. J Epidemiol 1977, 105:94-98.
9. Lee A.K.Y., Ip H.M.H., Wong V.C.W. Mechanisms of maternal-fetal transmission of hepatitis B virus. J Infect Dis 1978, 138:668-671.
10. Wong V.C., Ip H.M., Reesink H.W., Lelie P.N., Reerink-Brongers E.E., Yeung C.Y., et al. Prevention of the HBsAg carrier state in newborn infants of mothers who are chronic carriers of HBsAg and HBeAg by administration of hepatitis-B vaccine and hepatitis-B immunoglobulin. Double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study. Lancet 1984, 1:921-926.
11. Ip H.M., Lelie P.N., Wong V.C., Kuhns M.C., Reesink H.W. Prevention of hepatitis B virus carrier state in infants according to maternal serum levels of HBV DNA. Lancet 1989, 1:406-410.
12. Akhter S., Talukder M.Q., Bhuiyan N., Chowdhury T.A., Islam M.N., Begum S. Hepatitis B virus infection in pregnant mothers and its transmission to infants. Indian J Pediatr 1992, 59:411-415.
13. Xu Z.Y., Duan S.C., Margolis H.S., Purcell R.H., Ou-Yang P.Y., Coleman P.J., et al. Long-term efficacy of active postexposure immunization of infants for prevention of hepatitis B virus infection. United States-People's Republic of China Study Group on Hepatitis B. J Infect Dis 1995, 171:54-60.
14. Liu L.H. Comparative study of the efficacy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine combined with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) versus vaccine alone in the interruption of the perinatal transmission of HBV carrier state. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi 1987, 8:325-328.
15. Soderstrom A., Norkrans G., Lindh M. Hepatitis B virus DNA during pregnancy and post-partum: aspects on vertical transmission. Scand J Infect Dis 2003, 35:814-819.
16. Beasley R.P., Hwang L.Y., Szmuness W., Stevens C.E., Lin C.C., Hsieh F.J., et al. HBIG prophylaxis for perinatal HBV infections-final report of the Taiwan trial. Dev Biol Stand 1983, 54:363-375.
17. Blumberg B.S., Fox R.C. The Daedalus effect: changes in ethical questions relating to hepatitis B virus. Ann Intern Med 1985, 102:390-394.
18. Beasley R.P., Hwang L.-Y., Lin C.-C., Chien C.-S. Hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus: a prospective study of 22,707 men in Taiwan. Lancet 1981, 2:1129-1133.
19. Dienstag J.L. Hepatitis B virus infection. N Engl J Med 2008, 359:1486-1500.
20. American Academy of Pediatrics Religious objections to medical care. Pediatrics 1997, 99:279-280.
21. American Academy of Pediatrics Responding to parental refusals of immunization of children. Pediatrics 2005, 115:1428-1431.
22. Dawson A. The determination of 'best intersts' in relation to childhood vaccinations. Bioethics 2005, 19:188-205.
23. Seminars to improve relations between doctors and Jehovah's Witnesses. Watchtower. Official web site of Jehovah's Witnesses. Link: [accessed 11.04.11]. http://www.watchtower.org/e/19950322/article_01.htm.
24. Isaacs D. Children have rights, too. J Paediatr Child Health 2009, 45:627-628.
25. Isaacs D., Kilham H.A., Marshall H. Should routine childhood immunizations be compulsory?. J Paediatr Child Health 2004, 40:392-396.