| Abstract: | The paper presents the data on the time course of HBsAg carrier state in babies born to mothers with antigenemia indicating the dependence of the pattern of the antigen carrier state in babies upon the time of its primary detection. The stable (chronic) HBsAg carrier state in babies was shown to be formed after the first 3 months of life which attests to the necessity of using a vaccine against hepatitis B (HB) for prevention of HBsAg carrier state in newborns. The results of epidemiological survey in 185 babies developing HB with the analysis of all possible factors of their infection contraction are presented. The efficacy of the national plasma vaccine against hepatitis B is evaluated in observations of the newborn babies whose mothers were carriers of HBsAg. It was established that in vaccinated babies after 3 injections of the vaccine at 0, 1, and 6 months the rate of antigen detection was 3.3% and that of antibody 80% whereas in babies of the control group these values were 23.7% and 8.0%, respectively. |
