Rates of acute hepatitis B are high in Moldova, but the prevalence of chronic infection is
unknown. In 1994, we surveyed children and pregnant women, collected demographic
information, and drew blood for laboratory testing. Among the 439 children (mean age,
5 years), the prevalence of antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B
surface antigen (HBsAg) were 17·1 and 6·8%, respectively. Among the 1098 pregnant women
(mean age, 26 years), 52·4% were anti-HBc-positive and 9·7% were HBsAg-positive. Of the
HBsAg-positive pregnant women, 35·6% were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive and
18·3% had antibodies to hepatitis D virus. The prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus was
1·4% in children and 2·3% in pregnant women. The high HBeAg prevalence among HBsAg-positive pregnant women and the high anti-HBc prevalence among children indicate that both
perinatal and early childhood transmission contribute to the high hepatitis B virus endemicity
in Moldova.