Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B in Vanuatu

The ‘Protektem Pikinini Blong Yu’ (PPBY) study in Vanuatu is a real-world field trial that aims to develop the evidence for a treat-all approach to preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. 

PPBY will recruit hepatitis B pregnant women into an intervention and control arm. In the intervention arm, hepatitis B-infected pregnant women will receive antiviral prophylaxis during pregnancy. In the control arm, hepatitis B-infected pregnant women will not receive any intervention.

In both groups, infants born to hepatitis B-infected pregnant women and their infants will be followed up until 6-12 months of age to determine the number that are infected with hepatitis B.

The study includes a broader range of embedded sub-studies that focus on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, including:

• understanding of hepatitis B among infected pregnant women and their families
• acceptability of midwife-delivered care in remote island settings
• adherence to, and predictors of, tenofovir use during pregnancy
• evaluation of educational resources to educate hepatitis B-infected mothers about hepatitis B
• evaluation of training resources to train nurses and midwives on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B
• uptake of the hepatitis B birth dose and completion of the hepatitis B.