A Survey on the Status of Hepatitis B Antibody Amongst Health Center Staff in Zabol in 2013

Backgrounds Health care members are among the groups at high risk of infection due to direct contact with patients. Therefore, the current study aimed at determining the level of hepatitis B virus antibody (HBsAb) among health care members in Zabol, Iran.
Methods & Materials The current cross sectional study was carried out on a total of 72 blood samples obtained from health care members in autumn 2013. Serum samples were tested by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess antibody level. Data were expressed using frequency distribution, and central and dispersion indicators by SPSS version 18. Chi-square and t test were used to analyze data.
Results Overall, 37 (51.8%) subjects showed high immune response of >100 uml/mL HBsAb, while 14 (19.4%) subjects had the mild immune response of 10 to 100 uml/mL HBsAb. There was a significant relationship between the last dose of vaccine and high immune response among the study participants (PConclusion In conclusion, age and the last dose of vaccine should be considered significantly in monitoring the level of immune response against HBV. The study also suggested that the immune response of health care members should be checked regularly every 5 years. Accordingly, a booster dose of vaccination against HBV should be offered if necessary.