Diagnosis and Assessment
Prevention
����Counsel carriers regarding prevention of HBV transmission
(Table 1). (III)
����Give hepatitis B vaccination to sexual and household contacts of
carriers who are negative for HBV seromarkers. (III)
����Give hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine at delivery
to newborns of HBV-infected mothers and complete the recommended
vaccination series. (I)
����Test persons who remain at risk for HBV infection���such as infants of
HBsAg-positive mothers, health care workers, dialysis patients, and
sexual partners of carriers���for response to vaccination. (III)
����Perform postvaccination testing at 9 to 15 months of age in infants of
carrier mothers and 1-2 months after the last dose in other persons. (III)
����Perform follow-up testing of vaccine responders annually for chronic
hemodialysis patients. (III)
����Recommend abstinence or only limited use of alcohol for hepatitis B
carriers. (III)
����Give the full series of hepatitis B vaccine to persons who are positive
only for anti-HBc and who are from a low endemic area with no risk
factors for HBV. (II-2)
Table 1. Recommendations for Infected Persons Regarding
Prevention of Transmission of HBV and Others
Persons who are HBsAg-positive should:
Have sexual contacts vaccinated
Use barrier protection during sexual intercourse if partner is not vaccinated or naturally
immune
Not share toothbrushes or razors
Cover open cuts and scratches
Clean blood spills with detergent or bleach
Not donate blood, organs or sperms
Children and adults who are HBsAg-positive:
Can participate in all activities including contact sports
Should not be excluded from daycare or school participation and should not be isolated
from other children
Can share food, utensils, and kiss others
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