TY - JOUR
T1 - Vaccination Coverage and Awareness of Hepatitis B Virus Among Healthcare Students at a University in Cyprus
AU - Roupa, Zoe
AU - Noula, Maria
AU - Farazi, Evi
AU - Stylianides, Antonis
AU - Papaneophytou, Christos
N1 - Funding Information:
• Financial support and sponsorship: This work was funded by internal finding from the University of Nicosia.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Zoe Roupa, Maria Noula, Evi Farazi, Antonis Stylianides, Christos Papaneophytou.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Introduction: The risk for healthcare students to get infected by transmitting infectious viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), in a hospital setting is extremely high through exposure to blood and/or body secretions. Aim: The aim of this work was to evaluate both the vaccination history of health-care students at a University in Cyprus and their serologic immunity against HBV. In addition, we assessed their knowledge and behaviors towards the transmission and prevention of hepatitis B (HB). Results: Total amount of 168 students participated in this study and more than 50% of them provided complete documentation of vaccination history against HBV. Antibodies levels ³10 mIU/mL to HB surface antigen (HBsAg) were detected for the 98.8% of healthcare students while 1.2% of the participants tested positive for HBsAg and antibodies to HB core antigen indicating chronic infection. Our study also revealed significant gaps in the knowledge of healthcare students on the efficiency of the vaccine against HBV and in terms of the HBV transmission. Conclusions: More information needs to be provided to healthcare students in Cyprus regarding HBV transmission and vaccination. In addition, there is a need for intervention to provide a safer workplace environment.
AB - Introduction: The risk for healthcare students to get infected by transmitting infectious viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), in a hospital setting is extremely high through exposure to blood and/or body secretions. Aim: The aim of this work was to evaluate both the vaccination history of health-care students at a University in Cyprus and their serologic immunity against HBV. In addition, we assessed their knowledge and behaviors towards the transmission and prevention of hepatitis B (HB). Results: Total amount of 168 students participated in this study and more than 50% of them provided complete documentation of vaccination history against HBV. Antibodies levels ³10 mIU/mL to HB surface antigen (HBsAg) were detected for the 98.8% of healthcare students while 1.2% of the participants tested positive for HBsAg and antibodies to HB core antigen indicating chronic infection. Our study also revealed significant gaps in the knowledge of healthcare students on the efficiency of the vaccine against HBV and in terms of the HBV transmission. Conclusions: More information needs to be provided to healthcare students in Cyprus regarding HBV transmission and vaccination. In addition, there is a need for intervention to provide a safer workplace environment.
KW - Awareness
KW - Hepatitis B
KW - Prevention
KW - Students Health Occupations
KW - Vaccination
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115935794&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5455/msm.2019.31.190-196
DO - 10.5455/msm.2019.31.190-196
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85115935794
SN - 1512-7680
VL - 31
SP - 190
EP - 196
JO - Materia Socio-Medica
JF - Materia Socio-Medica
IS - 3
ER -
