Hepatitis B and C seroprevalence among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in Rwanda
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 109, No. 3, Year 2014
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Background: Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) are significant global public health challenges with health care workers (HCWs) at especially high risk of exposure in resource-poor settings.We aimed to measure HBV and HCV prevalence, identify exposure risks and evaluate hepatitis-related knowledge amongst Rwandan tertiary hospital HCWs. Methods: A cross sectional study involving tertiary hospital employees was conducted from October to December 2013. A pre-coded questionnaire was used to collect data on HCWs' socio-demographics, risk factors and knowledge of blood-borne infection prevention. Blood samples were drawn and screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. Results: Among 378 consenting HCWs, the prevalence of HBsAg positivitywas 2.9% (11/378; 95% CI 1.9 to 4.6%) and anti-HCV positivity 1.3% (5/378; 95% CI 0.7 to 2.7%). Occupational exposure to blood was reported in 57.1% (216/378). Of the 17 participants (4.5%; 17/378) who reported having received the HBV vaccine, only 3 participants (0.8%) had received the three-dose vaccination course. Only 42 HCWs (42/378; 11.1%) were aware that a HBV vaccinewas available. Most HCW (95.2%; 360/378) reported having been tested for HIV in the last 6 months. Conclusions: Despite their high workplace exposure risk, HBV and HCV sero-prevalence rates among HCWs were low. The low HBV vaccination coverage and poor knowledge of preventative measures among HCWs suggest low levels of viral hepatitis awareness despite this high exposure.