Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program
The California Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program is managed by the California Department of Public Health. The program was established to provide resources and technical support to local health departments for perinatal hepatitis B prevention and to provide surveillance for perinatal hepatitis B cases.
The goal of the program is to prevent the perinatal transmission of hepatitis B by promoting the following:
- Prenatal testing of all pregnant women for hepatitis B infection and reporting cases to local health departments
- Appropriate immunoprophylaxis of infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive women
- Postvaccination serologic testing of exposed infants
- Screening and vaccination of close contacts
These measures are backed by California State Law which requires prenatal screening for hepatitis B surface antigen and reporting of hepatitis B infection by health care providers and laboratories to local health departments.
State funding of local programs supports these activities:
- Case management of pregnant infected women and their infants
- Education of medical providers, birth hospitals, and hepatitis B infected pregnant women and their close contacts
- Coordination with birth hospitals to promote implementation of national perinatal hepatitis B prevention recommendations
CDPH PHPP Contact Information
Celia Bird, MS, NP-C
Statewide Program Coordinator
510-620-3728
celia.bird@cdph.ca.gov
Catheryn Salibay, MPH
Epidemiologist
510-620-3846
catheryn.salibay@cdph.ca.gov