The authors wrote, “Hepatitis B virus is a significant occupational hazard for healthcare workers worldwide. Long-term protection against hepatitis B infection is conferred by the vaccine and the protective immune response is indicated by anti-hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) titre.”
The authors also indicated that evaluating the HBV vaccination status of healthcare workers provides an essential understanding of the immunization protocols and the significance of protection against HBV infection within this high-risk population.
This cross-sectional study sought to evaluate the HBV vaccination status among healthcare workers at a central laboratory within a tertiary care hospital and research center, concentrating on vaccination coverage, factors affecting vaccine uptake, and levels of awareness in this high-risk population.
The study cohort included 99 healthcare workers, including physicians, laboratory technicians, and attendants, who were evaluated for both vaccination coverage and immunity levels. Results revealed that protective antibody levels (>10 IU/mL) were detected in 84.8% of participants, with the greatest protection among physicians (94.5%), followed by laboratory technicians (82.9%) and attendants (66.6%); however, 15.2% were reported to have insufficient immunity, principally among attendants (33.3%).
Additionally, vaccination coverage was greatest among physicians (91.8%) followed by laboratory technicians (78.7%) and attendants (53.3%), and the majority of physicians had either completed the full vaccination schedule (70.2%) or received a booster dose (24.3%) compared with laboratory technicians and attendants, reported as (57.4%) and (46.6%), respectively. Results also revealed that none of the laboratory technicians and only 6.67% of the attendants obtained a vaccine booster, accentuating a vital area for improvement regarding this issue.
The authors wrote, “The absence of HBsAg-positive cases among all study participants is a positive finding, indicating no active HBV infection within the laboratory personnel at the time of the study. This result suggests that the existing preventive measures, including vaccination and other infection control practices, are effective in preventing HBV transmission among these workers.”
Based on their findings, the authors concluded that this study stressed the importance of effective preventive strategies against HBV among laboratory healthcare workers, as shown by the absence of active infections.
Finally, the authors noted that the findings emphasized the necessity of implementing concentrated and practical initiatives to expand awareness about HBV vaccinations and the significance of vaccination, particularly among attendants, to ensure comprehensive protection against HBV infections for all levels of laboratory staff members.
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