Prevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Among Students of Medical Laboratory Sciences in Port Sudan Ahlia College

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus infection is a salient occupational hazard for health workers. It has been estimated that about two billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus. It is the 10 th leading cause of death worldwide and results in 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths per year due to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The presence of HBsAg in serum or plasma is an indication of active Hepatitis B infection, either acute or chronic. Healthcare workers, of which medical students are a part of, are at high risk of encountering accidental needle prick injuries, blood and body fluid exposure and hence acquiring blood borne infections, especially Hepatitis B which may be followed by serious long term sequelae in a significant number of cases. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence rate of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among the Port Sudan Ahlia College, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences students, during the period from January to May 2012 AD. The study included male and female individual's aged18-25 years. It was found that the incidence of hepatitis B virus among the students under study amounted to 2% using the Immuno-Chromatography Test (ICT). Seroprevalence was recorded in the females (2.0%) than males (0.0%) students. Other studies are required in the future for more confirmation with more specific and sensitive Techniques; such as: analysis by Enzyme linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (E. L. I. S. A.) Technique and Polymerase Chain Reaction (P. C. R). Participated in this study, qualitative detection of HBsAg was done using one step HBsAg rapid test strips (DiaSpot Diagnostics, USA). Results were correlated and reported as positive or negative. Among the 50 samples analyzed, 2 samples were positive for HBsAg accounting for a prevalence rate of 2.0%. This prevalence was however statistically non -significant (p0.05). The major risk factors of hepatitis B transmission among medical students include unprotected exposure body fluids, blood and blood products as well as lack of vaccination.

Studies on the Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection Among Students

“…In a similar work carried out by Zakka et al 9 , a lower prevalence rate of 8.9% was recorded among blood donors in Gombe-Nigeria 9 . In another study conducted among Makere Medical students, an overall prevalence of 11.0% was recorded for HBsAg, which was slightly higher compared to the 10.5% prevalence recorded in this study, which is also higher than the result of a study obtained in Port Sudan Ahlia College among student as reported by Osman et al 10 According to Omatola et al 11 , WHO has established low prevalence as <2% and moderate prevalence as 2-8% and high incidence rate of >8% HBsAg positivity. It can then be deduced that the population screened in this study is highly prevalent with 10.5% reported.…”