HEPATITIS B VACCINATION COVERAGE AND POSTVACCINATION SEROLOGIC TESTING
AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN BRAZIL |
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Authors: | Eduardo Pernambuco de Souza Marcelo de Souza Teixeira |
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Affiliation: | (1) Professor Adjunto de Pediatria, Escola de Medicina e Cirurgia, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO);(2) Aluno do Curso de Graduação em Medicina, Escola de Medicina e Cirurgia. Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) |
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Abstract: | The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the hepatitis Bvaccination coverage among medical students at a public university in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, and their compliance with the postvaccination serologic testingrecommendations. Of the total of 858 students, 675 (78.7%) participated in the study.Among the participants, 48.9% (95% CI: 45.1% to 52.7%) were vaccinated againsthepatitis B (received ≥ 3 doses of the vaccine), 31.6% were not (received 0, 1 or 2doses), and 19.6% did not know their vaccination status. Hepatitis B vaccinationcoverage increased from 26.0% among first-year students to 70.6% among sixth-yearstudents while the prevalence of unknown vaccination status decreased from 39.7%among first-year students to 2.4% among sixth-year students. The frequency ofunvaccinated students ranged from 23.7% among fifth-year students to 34.4% amongfirst-year students. Only 34.8% of the vaccinated students performed the anti-HBstesting after vaccination. Among these medical students, we found a low adherence tothe hepatitis B vaccination and to the postvaccination serologic testing. Acomprehensive hepatitis B immunization program should be offered to students at thismedical school. |
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Keywords: | Vaccination Hepatitis B Medical students |
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