Jornal de Doenças Infecciosas e Medicina Preventiva
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HBV Serological Profiles and Vaccination Status among Healthcare Workers in Istanbul, Turkey

Karaosmanoglu HK, Aydin OA, Rahsan Ince E, Emirhan Isık M and Kok M

Introduction: The aim of this study is to determine the hepatitis B serological profiles, vaccination status, and prevalence of needlestick injuries (NSI) among HCWs in a tertiary hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

Methodology: This study was conducted from February to March 2013 in Haseki Hospital. The study undertook randomly 333 volunteer HCWs working in different departments of the hospital with more than 6 months of job experience. A structured questionnaire was used to collect individual demographic parameters, history of occupational exposures and HBV vaccination coverage status. Blood samples of participating HCWs were collected for HBV profiling.

Results: Among the volunteer 333 subjects, 101 (69.7%) were male. Their age ranged between 19 and 62 years (mean 35.9 years) and the duration of their employment between 1 and 41 years (mean 16.9 years). Ninety-eight (29.4%) of the interviewed health-care workers reported that they had experienced at least one needlestick injury during their working life. Occupation and duration of employment were significantly associated with needlestick injury (P<0.05). Of 268 HCWs had serological tests, only two (0.7%) were found to be HBsAg positive. Total of 60 individuals who tested for anti-HBc, 25 (41.7%) were found to be positive. There was no significant association between anti-HBc seropositivity and age, gender, occupation or duration of employment. In this study, 253 (76%) HCWs had completed their vaccination regimen. The highest rate of vaccination among doctors, followed by nurses and clinical staff. There was a significant association between occupation and vaccination status (P=0.002).

Conclusion: The frequency of HBV infection in HCWs was lower and vaccination rates were higher in our study. However, they are at increased risk for acquiring HBV infection due to occupational exposure to potentially infectious body fluids. Hence, suitable education, vaccination and post vaccination assessment must be implemented.