Hepatitis B dried blood spot (DBS) testing for children
Information and resources to support UKHSA's national DBS testing service to improve uptake of testing in primary care of infants born to mothers living with hepatitis B.
Applies to England
National hepatitis B dried blood spot service
The dried blood spot test or DBS for infants born to women living with hepatitis B is a national service that is offered free of charge by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to increase testing in the primary care setting of at-risk infants born to women living with hepatitis B.
Taking a DBS in general practice has been standard practice since 2014 to support the selective neonatal hepatitis B programme. DBS testing can be undertaken at any time between one year and 18 months of age in primary care, for example at an opportunistic healthcare attendance or at a routine appointment. Taking a DBS to check if a child has acquired hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection via vertical transmission is essential to ensure early referral into services for those children found to be at risk.
Dried blood spot testing
UKHSA offers a DBS test that has been validated in detecting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).
The DBS test uses an age-appropriate safety lancet to prick the heel of the child, allowing the healthcare professional to obtain several drops of blood, which are then applied to a filter paper. It is a simple, safe and easy way to test the child in a primary care setting. Standard infection control precautions prevent any risk of cross-infection, and allowing the blood to air dry onto the filter paper renders it safe for posting to the laboratory.
Programme documents
UKHSA has developed a range of resources to support healthcare professionals in practice.
The DBS training slideset includes information on how to prepare for and take a good quality bloodspot, demonstrates how to use the lancet, how to complete the form and what to do after taking the sample.
Download the slidesetslide set detailing How to take a good quality blood spot sample for healthcare professionals.
Watch a video demonstrating How to take a good quality blood spot sample,. reproducedThis withvideo kindcan permissionalso frombe Northdownloaded Eastfor anduse North Cumbria ICS.offline.
For further information, see:
- Hepatitis B: antenatal screening and selective neonatal immunisation pathway
- Hepatitis B: the green book, chapter 18
- Hexavalent combination vaccine: programme guidance
Attachments
Data reports in summary
Additional resources
Testing of infants born to hepatitis B infected mothers: a 3-year review of the national DBS testing service, HPR 11(5), 3 February 2017.
You can view resources from previous years on the National Archives, where you can also find the Rationale for not requiring high anti-HBs levels in infants born to HBsAg positive mothers.
Updates to this page
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PHE references updated to UKHSA. Out-of-date resources replaced with current versions, such as the DBS training resources, the hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk infants aide memoire, and the instructions on how to take a dried blood spot sample.
Update history
2025-12-23 16:18
‘How to take a good quality blood spot sample’ video and slide set updated
2025-06-11 10:30
PHE references updated to UKHSA. Out-of-date resources replaced with current versions, such as the DBS training resources, the hepatitis B vaccine for at-risk infants aide memoire, and the instructions on how to take a dried blood spot sample.