Abstract
Aim of this study to investigate the level of knowledge about hepatitis B and prevalence of HBsAg carriage in police and other security staff. Hepatitis B knowledge of police and other staff working for Adiyaman police department were measured using a questionnaire. This questionnaire was prepared after a literature search and was applied to 683 subjects before an education seminar. Fully and regularly filled 437 questionnaires were selected for evaluation. HBsAg and Anti HBs values of subjects were measured. Data were recorded to SPSS 16.0 package program. Chi square test was used for data analyses. Of all the study subjects 406 (92.9%) were males and 31 (7.1%) were females. Three hundred sixty subjects (82.3%) were police staff, 60 (13.7%) were public serveants, 15 (3.4%) were commissaries and 2 (0.05%) were nightmen. Mean age was 34.5 ± 7. Fifty four subjects gave correct answers to the question about transmission ways of hepatitis B. Three hundred eighty four subjects didn’t have enough knowledge about transmission ways of this virus. HBsAg positivity was detected in 34 (7.7%) subjects. Three hundred twenty five (51,4%) subjects had adequate antibody level for immunity. As a result, we detected that knowledge level was inadequate and increased risk for infection in this profession. It was concluded that security staff should be educated regarding risks and screened for bloodborne diseases.
Highlights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common bloodborne, transmissible infectious disease
Literature search showed very few studies investigating knowledge level of the security staff and appropriate precautions they are supposed to exercise for the prevention of bloodborne diseases
Hepatitis B virus infection is an important disease group that has an important role in the etiology of acute and chronic liver disease
Summary
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common bloodborne, transmissible infectious disease. This disease can be transmitted via percutaneous, horizontal, perinatal, and sexual routes. Many studies carried out in order to detect HBsAg positivity in various risk groups in our country. That’s why educational activities to increase knowledge level, and periodic screenings are very important for security staff who are frequently get injured and exposed to blood contacts during their work to minimize infection risk, to prevent transmission, and to establish appropriate preventive measures [5,6]. Literature search showed very few studies investigating knowledge level of the security staff and appropriate precautions they are supposed to exercise for the prevention of bloodborne diseases
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