Hepatitis B vaccination status among medical students at a tertiary institution in North-East Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is ranked among the top ten killers by the World Health Organisation. It is a public health problem, highly infectious and an occupational hazard for Health care workers. Nigeria is endemic for HBV with an estimated 20 million people infected. Though vaccine preventable, medical students are outside the age group which benefits from the introduction of HBV vaccine into the National immunization schedule and are a high risk group for HBV infection. We studied the HBV vaccination status of medical students who commenced clinical training to determine their risk of infection. Methods and materials: A cross sectional study was conducted among medical students who commenced clinical training at a tertiary institution in north-western Nigeria. All consenting students were recruited into the study. Those less than 18 years of age and students infected with HBV were excluded. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire with sections on demography, knowledge of HBV and HBV vaccination status. Data was analysed using Epi Info version 7.1.06. Results: Overall, 176 consenting students were recruited. Of these, 118 (67%) respondents were male, 172 (97.7%) were single and mean age of respondents was 22 ± 2 years. Most respondents, 172 (97.7%) had heard of HBV and common sources of information were lectures 146 (84.9%) and literature 51 (29.7%). Most respondents, 169 (96%) knew their training predisposed them to HBV infection though more than half, 94 (53.4%) were not vaccinated against HBV. The commonest reason for non-vaccination was lack of access 53 (56.4%). Of all respondents, majority, 142 (80.7%) had not received HBV vaccine before commencement of clinical training. Conclusion: Medical students in training at this institution are exposed to infection with HBV. We recommend the School authority develop policies on HBV vaccination for medical students before commencement of clinical training.