Hepatitis B virus prevalence and vaccination response in health care workers and students at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
Journal Title: Annals of Hepatology - Year 2012, Vol 11, Issue 3
Abstract
Background and rationale for the study. Hepatitis B (HB) is one of the most prevalent occupational infections in health attendance environments. According to the Brazil Ministry of Health, health professionals must be vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and provide laboratory proof of immunization. Aims. To evaluate the seroprevalence of HBV infection and to analyze the response to vaccine by measuring serum antibodies against HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs) levels in a sample of students and health professionals at the Federal University of Bahia. Results. As part of this cross-sectional study, a campaign against occupational HB was launched in 2007 and vaccination and blood samples were collected for analysis of the following serological markers: HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HBs (measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay) and total antibodies against HBV core antigen (anti-HBc). The study sample comprised 766 people. Global seropositivity for HBV was 1.7%: 0.5% in the students and 8.8% in the professionals. In a group of volunteers, a serological profile compatible with postvaccine immunity was shown by 95% of volunteers with proof of vaccination and by 81.8% of volunteers without proof of vaccination. Conclusions. In conclusion, this study shows that it is important to promote vaccination campaigns and improve knowledge and awareness about HB among health care workers and higher education students.
Authors and Affiliations
Patrícia Carvalho, Maria Schinoni, Jacy Andrade, Marco Vasconcelos Rêgo, Roberto Meyer, Alex Araújo, Thomaz Menezes, Carolina Oliveira, Rodrigo Macêdo, Júlio Leal, Betânia Matos, Robert Schaer, Juçara Simones, Songeli Freire, Raymundo Paraná
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP78144
- DOI -
- Views 125
- Downloads 0
Graft calcification caused by a torsion of the hepatic vein after a living-related donor liver transplantation
The torsion of vessels after liver transplantation rarely occurs. Likewise, calcification of a liver graft has seldom been reported. This report details a case which had torsion of the left hepatic vein on the seventh d...
Effect of ezetimibe in HCV viral load after liver transplantation
Recurrent idiopathic acute hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia/pancytopenia fourteen years after initial episo
Aplastic anemia following viral hepatitis is a condition well recognized in the medical literature. Although hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is an uncommon syndrome, there are several reports in the literature descr...
Patterns of viral load in chronic hepatitis B patients in Brazil and their association with ALT levels and HBeAg status
Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level is a predictor of the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients. Nevertheless, the distribution of viral load levels in chronic HBV pati...
Porphyria cutanea tarda in an HCV-positive liver transplant patient: a case report
Introduction. Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is the most common type of porphyria. The strong association between PCT and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is well established. Although antiviral treatment of chronic hepa...