Q: I have been detected to have Hepatitis B but am HBeAg -ve. My wife is HBsAg -ve and not vaccinated. We are using condoms and our sexual relationship is going to continue as we are newly married. She has been given the first dose yesterday. Should she be give HBIG (Hepatitis B Immune Globulin) so as to provide complete safety? Our family doctor has said it is not required as my virus is not active. Please help in our good health.

A:From the details that you have provided, it appears that you are infected with Hepatitis B virus which is in the non-replicative stage. As your wife is HBsAg negative, there is a potential risk of the virus being transmitted to her. The risk however is low as you are HBeAg negative. However, your wife should be fully vaccinated before you can plan for unprotected sex/conceiving baby. For this she should receive three doses of hepatitis B vaccine at intervals of 0, 1 and six months. One can also confirm the vaccinated status of your wife by doing Anti-HBs levels after three doses, which however is not a must. But she does not need hepatitis B immunoglobulin for her protection. I will be glad to answer any further queries that you may have regarding hepatitis B infection.