Abstract
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Vaccination against the virus plays an important role in its prevention. Health personnel at risk of infection are recommended to receive the vaccine and to check their immune status thereafterObjective: To determine Hepatitis B Immune status among vaccinated health personnel in Khartoum state, Sudan.A total of 106 health personnel from different hospitals and doctors’mess in Khartoum and from different jobs were surveyed and their HBV surface antibodies levels were determined by HBsAb (Quantitative) ELISA Kits.Methods: Of the 106 participants in this study, the majority were females 72.6%. The mean age of those involved was 27.69 years, and nurses made for more than 50% of those surveyed. About 56.6% (60) of the health personnel involved took three or more doses of HBV vaccine while the rest received one or two doses. The results of the participants who received three or more doses of the vaccine represented immunity by 70%. In general, about 47.2% (50) of the participants in this study did show excellent immune response (> 100 mIU/mL) and 18.9% (20) had weak protective levels (between 10 and 100 mIU/mL)So, we concluded that HBV post-vaccination immunity status of health personnel in Khartoum state is lower than post-vaccination HBV immunity in other parts of the world. There is an urgent need for a national protocol of HBV vaccination to improve the immunization status of health personnel with a regular checkup of HBV immunity and easy access to a good-quality vaccine.
 Keywords: hepatitis B vaccines; healthcare workers; immune response
Highlights
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a member of the Hepadnaviridae family with a small DNA virus and unusual features of replication similar to retroviruses, in which HBV can replicate through an RNA intermediate and forming a stable minichromosome in the nucleus
Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for unvaccinated adults who are at risk for HBV infection like people whose sex partners have hepatitis B, sexually active persons who are not in a long-term monogamous relationship, persons seeking evaluation or treatment for a sexually transmitted disease, men who have sex with men, people who share needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment, household contacts of HBV-infected persons, health personnel and public safety workers at risk for exposure to blood or body fluids, residents and staff of facilities for developmentally disabled persons, persons in correctional facilities, victims of sexual assault or abuse, travelers to regions with increased rates of hepatitis B, people with chronic liver disease, patients on hemodialysis, HIV infection, or diabetes, and anyone who wants to be protected from HBV
56.6% of the involved health personnel finished the recommended three doses that reflects the gap in the health education and awareness about HBV vaccination among health personnel. This may be due to the high cost and lack of a public protocol for health personnel HBV vaccination, we found only two previous researches close to this topic in Sudan [17]
Summary
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a member of the Hepadnaviridae family with a small DNA virus and unusual features of replication similar to retroviruses, in which HBV can replicate through an RNA intermediate and forming a stable minichromosome (cccDNA) in the nucleus. These features of the HBV replication cycle give it the ability to persist in infected cells [1]. HBV vaccine is a recombinant DNA vaccine that contains HBsAg genetically engineered from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae It provides a seroprotection rate of 85–100% that was seen one month after the last dose of vaccine and it confers immunity for at least 10 years [5]. This study was conducted to determine hepatitis B immune status among vaccinated health personnel in Khartoum, Sudan
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