Seroprevalences of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C among healthcare workers in Tire State Hospital

Abstract

Objective: The risk of infection with HBV and HCV in healthcare workers has been increased as risks such as contact with the blood or open wound of the infected people. The aim of the study was to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among healthcare working at Tire State Hospital.Methods: Screening records of total 518 hospital personnel working in the Tire State Hospital between January 2012 and April 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. HBsAg, Anti-HBs and Anti HCV tests on the blood samples obtained for screening were performed in our laboratory using Siemens advia centaur XP chemiluminescence technique.Results: Between January 2012 and April 2017, a total of 518 health workers, ranging in age from 18 to 63 working in the State Hospital, were evaluated in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology clinics.Conclusion: Hospital workers should be screened for HBV and HCV and individuals without HBV vaccination should be vaccinated. In our country, HBsAg positivity in healthcare workers has decreased especially in recent years. Nevertheless, healthcare workers are still under the risk of HBV and HCV. Therefore, it is important to keep and review the records of hospital workers regularly. Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Izmir, Turkey e-mail: gokcenbudak@gmail.com Our personnel were negative for Anti-HBs 61 (11.8%) and anti-HBs positivity was detected in 457 (88.2%) of the obtained samples, 6 (1.2%) of these personnel were positive for HBsAg. It was detected that two cleaning personnel and a nurse were positive for anti-HCV. Keywords

Evaluation of the Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Among Hospital Workers in Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

“…Among sanitation personnel, hepatitis B vaccination should be increased because of the high risk of hepatitis B transmission and the low incidence of protective antibodies. These results are in accordance with the epidemiological distribution of HBV in the Republic of Turkey (27)(28)(29)(30). The seroprevalence of anti-HBs was higher among anaesthesia technicians and doctors than the other groups.…”

“…Patient-care nurse 148 ( cination rate was found to be lower in sanitation staff in the literature (27)(28)(29)(30). It is thought that the sanitation staff members may have experienced hepatitis B before starting the profession because of their lower socioeconomic levels, compared to the other groups.…”

“…Also, it is known that the majority of high-risk contacts occur with medical waste (28). To reduce the frequency of such contacts, it is considered that health personnel, including sanitation personnel, should be trained on the proper separation of medical waste (27)(28)(29)(30). Among sanitation personnel, hepatitis B vaccination should be increased because of the high risk of hepatitis B transmission and the low incidence of protective antibodies.…”

Hepatitis B and C virus infection among healthcare workers in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Both HBV and HCV are transmitted by parenteral or mucosal exposure to infected blood and body fluids [ 1 , 2 ]. Hepatitis B and C viruses are the most common causes of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma resulting in high morbidity and mortality all over the world [ 3 , 4 ]. Hepatitis B virus is more contagious [ 2 ] and HCV is a predominant cause of chronic hepatitis [ 5 ].…”

“…Understanding the relative contribution of HBV and HCV to liver disease burden is important for setting public health priorities and guiding prevention programs [ 24 ]. In spite of recommendations on hepatitis B vaccination, the immunization rates among health professionals have remained consistently low in African countries [ 3 ]. A meta-analysis conducted in 2018 also reported that only a quarter of African HCWs were fully vaccinated against hepatitis B virus [ 23 ].…”