ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Economic feasibility of eliminating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in highly endemic African countries remains uncertain. Prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) involves screening pregnant women for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), identifying those with high viral loads or hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and administering tenofovir prophylaxis to high-risk women. We estimated the costs of integrating PMTCT services into antenatal care in Burkina Faso, based on four different strategies to select women for tenofovir prophylaxis: (1) HBV DNA (≥200 000 IU/mL), (2) HBeAg, (3) hepatitis B core-related antigen rapid diagnostic test (HBcrAg-RDT) and (4) all HBsAg-positive women. METHODS: Using a micro-costing approach, we estimated the incremental economic cost of integrating each strategy into routine antenatal care in 2024, compared to neonatal vaccination alone. Sensitivity analyses explored variations in prevalence, service coverage, test and tenofovir prices. RESULTS: HBcrAg-RDT strategy was the least expensive, with a total economic cost of US$3959689, compared to HBV DNA (US$6128875), HBeAg (US$4135233), and treat-all (US$4141206). The cost per pregnant woman receiving tenofovir prophylaxis varied from US$61.88 (Treat-all) to US$1071.05 (HBV DNA). The Treat-All strategy had the lowest marginal cost due to a higher number of women on tenofovir (66928) compared to HBV DNA (5722), HBeAg (10020), and HBcrAg-RDT (7234). In sensitivity analyses, the treat-all strategy became less expensive when the tenofovir price decreased. CONCLUSION: HBcrAg-RDT minimizes resource use and costs, representing 0.61% of Burkina Faso's 2022 health budget. This study highlights the potential economic feasibility of these strategies and provides valuable resources for conducting cost-effectiveness analyses.
ABSTRACT
To achieve global hepatitis elimination by 2030, it is critical to prevent the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Since 2009, the WHO has recommended administering hepatitis B vaccine to all neonates within 24 h of birth to prevent MTCT. However, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa only provide hepatitis B immunization at the age of 6, 10, and 14 weeks or 8, 12, and 16 weeks using a combined vaccine. To accelerate the introduction of the hepatitis B birth dose vaccine (HepB-BD) into sub-Saharan Africa, it is critical to establish to what extent the addition of HepB-BD can further reduce HBV transmission in areas where three-dose infant vaccination has been implemented. We therefore designed a study to evaluate the impact, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness of incorporating the HepB-BD into the routine immunization program in a real-life field condition in Burkina Faso, where the hepatitis B vaccination is currently scheduled at 8-12-16 weeks. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining epidemiology, anthropology, and health economics, the Neonatal Vaccination against Hepatitis B in Africa (NéoVac) study conducts a pragmatic stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial in rural areas of the Hauts-Bassins Region. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04029454). A health center is designated as a cluster, and the introduction of HepB-BD will be rolled out sequentially in 24 centers. Following an initial period in which no health center administers HepB-BD, one center will be randomly allocated to incorporate HepB-BD. Then, at a regular interval, another center will be randomized to cross from the control to the intervention period, until all 24 centers integrate HepB-BD. Pregnant women attending antenatal care will be systematically invited to participate. Infants born during the control period will follow the conventional immunization schedule (8-12-16 weeks), while those born in the interventional period will receive HepB-BD in addition to the routine vaccines (0-8-12-16 weeks). The primary outcome, the proportion of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity in infants aged at 9 months, will be compared between children born before and after HepB-BD introduction. The study will generate data that may assist governments and stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa to make evidence-based decisions about whether to add HepB-BD into the national immunization programs.
