Vaccinate at birth, protect for life
Breaking the chain at birth
The hepatitis B virus is very contagious and can be easily passed from mother to child. Infection is often silent and invisible. Mothers may not know that they are infected and neither do they know that they can infect their baby during birth. But the chain of infection can be broken by proper vaccination. If vaccinated soon after birth, babies can be protected from hepatitis B. The odds of preventing infection are 80% to 95% if the hepatitis B vaccine is given within 24 hours of birth, followed by two other doses.