Perinatal Hepatitis B Program

Your liver helps fight infections and stops bleeding. It removes drugs and other poisons from your blood. It stores energy for when you need it. Hepatitis B is a liver disease that causes your liver to swell and not work the way it should. The Perinatal Hepatitis B Program works with women who are pregnant or have recently had a baby and the mom tested positive for Hepatitis B.

• A public health nurse contacts the mom to offer information and support
• The nurse works with the family and their doctor to make sure the baby receives treatment. This helps reduce the chance of the child becoming infected with the virus.
• The nurse also works with family members and other people who have physical contact with the mother to help prevent their becoming infected
• The program educates health care people and the general public about Hepatitis B. The more people who know about the vaccine, the less people likely to get the disease
• The program can provide vaccine for babies and blood tests and vaccine for family members if no other payment source is available
• The vaccine is offered at the STD clinic