Abstract
BackgroundsHealth-care workers’ (HCWs) exposure to bodily fluids puts them at risk of hepatitis B virus HBV infection. This study investigated HBV vaccination practices and outcomes in HCWs and assessed postvaccination seroprotection across HCWs in different departments.MethodsA survey of HCWs in a Chinese public general hospital was carried out with a retrospective cohort of 1420 hospital HCWs (458 males and 962 females). HBV vaccination status (10-μg/dose used) was investigated in the cohort from vaccination records from the period of 1988 to 2008. Blood samples were collected and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV antibodies (anti-HBs).ResultsThe overall vaccination (complete course) and HBsAg carrier rates among HCWs were 40.42 % (574/1420) and 6.13 % (87/1420), respectively. Vaccination rates differed by department, with HCWs in internal medicine (39.5 %) and emergency (42.0 %) departments having particularly low rates. The natural infection rate was 7.53 % (107/1420) among HCWs. HCWs in the department of infectious diseases (vaccination rate, 57.8 %) had the highest rate of antibody produced by natural infection (88.2 %).ConclusionThe vaccination rate was a disappointingly low among HCWs in Pearl River Delta Area of China. HCWs working in infectious diseases departments and technicians were at particularly likely to have been infected with HBV. A concerted effort is needed to bring vaccination rates up among Chinese HCWs in Pearl River Delta Area of southern China.
Highlights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of acute and chronic liver disease worldwide [1]—including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma—and is one of the ten most common causes of death worldwide [2]
Health-care workers (HCW) in the obstetrics and gynecology and surgery departments had the highest rates of HBV vaccination (≥60 %), whereas HCWs in the internal medicine and emergency departments had the lowest vaccination rates (≤42 %)
The present study demonstrated that HCWs in southern China, overall, had a disappointingly low rate of HBV vaccination
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of acute and chronic liver disease worldwide [1]—including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma—and is one of the ten most common causes of death worldwide [2]. An estimated 400 million people are infected with HBV, including 350 million chronic cases, with at least 1 million. Vaccination of health care workers (HCWs) is important given their risk of exposure to bloodborne viral infections, HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV, and vaccine-preventable diseases [7,8,9]. These risks are further heightened in developing countries in endemic regions such as Africa and Asia, including China [10].
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