Study to Assess the Status of Hepatitis B Vaccination and Factors Affecting Antibody Titers Level for Hepatitis B to Various Health Care Workers and Medical Students in Tertiary Healthcare Setup in Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B(HBV) is one of the most important occupational hazards among the medical student and healthcare workers(HCW's) due to risk of exposure to infected bodily fluids and blood. This study aimed to assess status of HBV vaccination and factors affecting anti-HBs titres levels for HBV in HCW and medical students. Material and Method: It was a prospective, descriptive and cross sectional study done at the Department of Microbiology, DRPGMC Kangra at Tanda(H.P). Randomly 215 HCW’s and medical students were taken in the study who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results: Total of 215 subjects were included in the study. Males were 89 and females were 126. 182 subjects were vaccinated and 33 were unvaccinated for hepatitis B. Out of 182 vaccinated 137 were completely vaccinated. Significant correlation was seen with decrease in antibody titers with gender, duration of vaccination and smoking. Conclusion: Vaccination should be mandatory for every HCW and medical student entering the health institutions. The factors affecting the antibody titers must be evaluated and antibody titers must be reviewed from time to time. The need for a booster dose can be made mandatory at least for healthcare professionals. Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Vaccination, Antibody titers, HCW.