Sir.—Conflicting results have been reported regarding infection of infants by mothers who are symptom free chronic hepatitis B carriers.1 The public health implication of neonatal hepatitis B will be directly related to local prevalence of maternal infection. Survival of hepatitis B virus is ensured by the reservoirs of carriers, of whom there are estimated to be 200 million or more in the world.2
Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) varies from country to country and depends on geographic, ethnic, genetic, and socioeconomic factors. In India, being a very large country with varying socioeconomic factors and ethnicity, the pattern of prevalence varies from the north to the south.3
Subjects and Methods.—The present study was conducted on a total of 400 apparently healthy pregnant women admitted to Women and Children Hospital, Davangere, India, at the time of labor. The hospital is situated in the heart of