Are the students in medicine, nursing and allied health higher schools protected from Hepatitis B: A cross-sectional study from Hatay, Turkey

Aim: Hepatitis B is an important public health problem and many groups, including health workers, are at risk for hepatitis B. We aimed to determine the hepatitis B surface antibody levels and frequency of needlestick injury among health occupations students. Method: The study population and sample were 973 students in Mustafa Kemal University, Medical, Nursing and Health Vocational High School in 2015. Of the students, %63 were reached, and 67.7% of them gave blood samples. Anti-HBS values were calculated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an antibody titer over 10 mIU/mL was accepted as positive. Results: The mean age was 20.9 ± 2.7 and 68.5% were female. Anti-HBs positivity was 54.5%, and 37.3% of the vaccinated group was still anti-HBS negative. The difference in anti-hepatitis B positivity was not significant in terms of sex, age group and school, but it was higher in vaccinated students than in others (p <0.05). 29.0% of participants had a history of needle-stick injury. The highest percentage was in health emergency and anaesthesia departments (p <0.001). Needle-stick injury was observed more often in senior students. Conclusion: Approximately half of the students were negative in terms of anti-HBs and injury risk at working places is extremely high. However, there is no clear hepatitis B policy for the students. There is a policy need for all students in healthcare settings