HAR §11-156-8.1. Prenatal hepatitis B screening and treatment of newborns

(a) Prenatal screening of pregnant women for hepatitis B (HbsAg) is required with each pregnancy. A woman infected with the hepatitis B virus should be counseled by her practitioner to consent to an immunization series against hepatitis B for her baby. (b) The attending practitioner or other person permitted by law to attend pregnant women in the State shall submit a sample of blood from each pregnant woman to a licensed laboratory for appropriate serologic testing for hepatitis B. A copy of the original laboratory report indicating the pregnant woman's Hepatitis B Surface antigen (HBsAg) status shall be provided to the hospital where delivery is planned and to the health care provider who will care for the newborn. The department may provide hepatitis B serologic testing to medically indigent or indigent pregnant women. (c) Every practitioner serving as the primary attendant for a pregnant woman who is a carrier of the hepatitis B virus shall report to the department's perinatal hepatitis B program the name, address, telephone number(s), and birth date of the woman. The department may provide the hepatitis B immune globulin and hepatitis B vaccine necessary for the protection of babies 156 - 14 86 01