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HBV vaccination, documentation low among health care students
Tohme RA. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2011;32:818-821.
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Documented hepatitis B vaccination rates among health care students were lower than recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, according to new findings published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
“Health care students are at risk for exposure to hepatitis B virus during their training and later during their career,” Rania A. Tohme, MD, MPH, of the CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis, told Infectious Disease News. “Therefore, hepatitis B vaccination and documentation of protection against infection would help decrease risk of infection. CDC and the ACIP currently recommend that all health care workers who may be exposed to blood or blood-contaminated products should be both vaccinated for hepatitis B and tested for antibodies to ensure protection against infection.”
For the study, Tohme and colleagues pooled HBV vaccination records for 4,075 health care students at Emory University in Atlanta from 2000 to 2010. HBV vaccination coverage and documentation of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) concentration were evaluated.
Only 59.8% of students had documentation of complete vaccination against HBV; 83.8% had an anti-HBs concentration of at least 10 mIU/mL, according to the researchers.
For the 150 students who had anti-HBs concentration results pooled after booster dosing to achieve anti-HBs concentrations of at least 10 mIU/mL, 63.3% required one booster dose, 11.3% required two doses, 13.3% required three doses and 2% required four doses.
“These rates are lower than the Healthy People 2010 goal of 90% hepatitis B vaccination coverage among health care workers, which has been set as a benchmark for the elimination of occupationally acquired hepatitis B infection in the US,” Tohme said.
Future research should assess multiple institutions throughout the United States because these findings were limited to one academic institution and may not be generalizable to others, she said. – by Ashley DeNyse
Disclosure: Dr. Tohme reports no relevant financial disclosures.
The study reassuringly reports that the majority of matriculating health care students were immune to hepatitis B. All did not have complete documentation, however, but a simple and safe booster immunization brought virtually all up to standard. The authors provide us a timely reminder that students may be exposed to hepatitis B early during their training. Thus, their hepatitis B immune status should be assessed promptly when they begin their training.
–William Schaffner, MD
President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Disclosure: Dr. Schaffner reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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