Infants of hepatitis B surface antigen positive women of Black ethnicity in the UK may be at risk of acquiring human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1.

Objective: The UK's antenatal screening and neonatal immunisation programme prevents vertical HBV transmissions. However, it is unknown whether HTLV-1 transmissions are occurring. We determined HTLV seroprevalence among hepatitis B surface antigen-positive individuals identified through antenatal enhanced surveillance between 27/03/2021 to 30/03/2023.

Results: For 3583 individuals, eight were HTLV-1 positive (2.2 per 1000, 95% CI 1.0 per 1000 to 4.4 per 1000) and none were HTLV-2 positive (95% CI 0.0 to 1.0 per 1000). HTLV-1 seroprevalence in women of Black ethnicity was 5.3 per 1000 (95%CI 2.1 per 1000 to 10.8 per 1000). Assuming 20% vertical transmission rates, over five years of the surveillance, it is likely that four (95% CI 1.0 - 10.0) infants avoidably acquired HTLV-1. As transmission can be prevented through education of HTLV-1 positive individuals to avoid breastfeeding, this represents a missed opportunity for averting neonatal infection.

Conclusions: Avoidable HTLV-1 vertical transmissions are likely occurring in this population, calling for strengthened public health interventions.