{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,25]],"date-time":"2026-04-25T16:22:55Z","timestamp":1777134175041,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]],"date-time":"2025-07-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751500800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Newborns who contract hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections at birth often develop chronic infections that can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death in middle adulthood. Birth doses of hepatitis B vaccine can be lifesaving for babies born to mothers with hepatitis B infections. We aimed to measure hepatitis B prevalence among maternity patients in Hu\u00edla, a rural province in southwestern Angola.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We conducted a prospective case series study among 317 peripartum women at the Hospital Evang\u00e9lico de Caluquembe from November 2023 to February 2024. Each participant received a point-of-care hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test and was asked about HBV and vaccine knowledge. We also conducted qualitative interviews about HBV prevention with 26 healthcare workers.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The HBsAg prevalence was 4.7%. None of the women who tested positive was previously aware of her status. Only about one-third of the women expressed familiarity with hepatitis B or HBV vaccines, and almost none reported that their older children had received HBV vaccines. Maternal health workers proposed hosting community meetings to provide education about HBV and birth-dose vaccination.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Only about half of Angolan babies are born at healthcare facilities, but more than 80% of women attend at least one antenatal care visit. Improved access to and uptake of hepatitis B screening at antenatal checkups is essential for ensuring that babies born to women with chronic hepatitis B infections are able to receive birth dose hepatitis B vaccines.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0327426","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]],"date-time":"2025-07-03T17:29:41Z","timestamp":1751563781000},"page":"e0327426","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Hepatitis B (HBsAg) prevalence among obstetric patients in Caluquembe, Angola, 2023\u20132024"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Anna E.","family":"Eberwein","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Priscila Ribeiro","family":"Cummings","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Cummings","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Julia","family":"Andre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4198-6246","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kathryn H.","family":"Jacobsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]]},"reference":[{"issue":"8","key":"pone.0327426.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1255","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinthera.2018.05.016","article-title":"Elimination of vertical transmission of hepatitis B in Africa: a review of available tools and new opportunities","volume":"40","author":"J 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