Author Affiliations
To the Editor
The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Cameroonian hospitals is high. However, vaccination of these workers and relations with occupational factors are not well documented. A prospective study was made of 1,433 HCWs and 800 administrative employees of the Buea and Limbe Regional Hospitals, respectively, of the South West, and 2,583 blood donor candidates from the Hospitals’ respective Blood Banks. HCWs were observed from January 2019 to December 2023. Data were obtained from exams made when a worker entered hospital service, periodically, and after work-related injuries. Serological reactions were analyzed in HCWs who received the HBV vaccine. Occupational and non-occupational information was obtained through a questionnaire. The prevalence of HBV among HCWs (0.8%) was significantly higher than in blood-donor candidates (0.2%). Among the HCWs who were vaccinated, 86.4% were immunized. Multivariate analysis revealed that increased age reduced the chance of immunization. Among the occupational factors, time in service contributed to a 14% increase in the chances of having positive serology, and work-related injuries increased the risk of HBV infection 4.29 times. The maximum risk sector presented a larger number of HCWs with positive anti-HBc serology. There was a higher seroconversion in HCWs who received the full set of HBV vaccines. In HCWs with positive serology, the factors that presented the greatest risks were time in service, work-related injuries, and maximum risk sector [1,2].
Throughout the world, millions of healthcare professionals work in health institutions, and it is estimated that 600,000 to 800,000 cut and puncture injuries occur among them per year, of which approximately 50% are not registered. In hospitals, it is estimated that approximately 30 injuries occur per 100 beds per year. HBV is the greatest threat of infection for HCWs. The risk of contracting hepatitis B by healthcare personnel is four times greater than that of the general adult population, among those who do not work in healthcare institutions [3].
The discovery of HBV vaccines and the results obtained from their introduction constitute a landmark of great importance for medical practice. Besides providing immunity against HBV infection, these vaccines indirectly protect against hepatocarcinoma. During the last few years, the American Health Inspection Service has demonstrated a decrease in the incidence of hepatitis B in HCWs, probably due to the use of vaccines and recommended safety measures [4].
Considering that hepatitis B virus is the etiological agent of chronic hepatopathies, and that patients with this acute infection may not develop symptoms in most cases, knowledge of aspects of this infection, such as prevalence, effectiveness of vaccination and relations to occupational exposure are fundamental for the improvement of preventive measures for health professionals [5,6].
The action call is the right of every individual to be able to meet basic needs and to have equal opportunities and life chances to reach towards her or his potential, but specific to the individual engagement in diverse and meaningful occupation [4,7].
References
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Author Information
Oscar Ndombe Meoto
Department of Civil Law
P.O Box 63, University of Buea
Email: globalwatchsafetyacademy@gmail.com
Author Contribution
The author contributed to the conceptualization, investigation, and data curation by acquiring and critically reviewing the selected articles and was involved in the writing – original draft preparation and writing – review & editing to refine the manuscript
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DOI
Cite this Article
Oscar Ndombe M. Prevalence of Hepatitis B in Healthcare Workers: Justice in Relation to Occupational Factors. medtigo J Med. 2024;2(3):e3062255. doi:10.63096/medtigo3062255 Crossref
