Occupational Risk of Hepatitis B Virus Exposure: Overview and Recommendations

Editorial

Authors

1 Department of Endemic and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt

2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt

3 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt

Abstract

Hepatitis B Virus has been recognized as an important occupational risk for health-care personnel (HCP) as the virus remains infectious for prolonged periods on environmental surfaces and is transmissible even in the absence of visible blood. Health care personnels (HCPs) who are in contact with blood or body fluids should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. HepB vaccine should administered intramuscularly into the deltoid muscle on a 0, 1, and 6-month schedule followed by HBsAb titre measurement. The protective level of anti-HBs should be ≥ 10mIU/mL. Booster doses of hepatitis B vaccine are not necessary, and periodic serologic testing to monitor antibody concentrations after completion of the vaccine series is not recommended. Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) provides passive anti-HBs and temporary protection lasts for 3-6 months and can be used together with HepB vaccine for postexposure prophylaxis. Vaccinated HCPs who have written documentation of a complete HepB vaccine series (≥ 3 doses) with documented anti-HBs ≥10mIU/mL, are immune and not in need for specific post exposure measures for HBV, whatever the source patient’s HBsAg status.

Keywords

Suez Canal University Medical Journal
Volume 21, Issue 2
October 2018
Pages 59-70

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