title: Health care workers in Pearl River Delta Area of China are not vaccinated adequately against hepatitis B: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health-care workers' (HCWs) exposure to bodily fluids puts them at risk of hepatitis B virus HBV infection. This study investigated HBV vaccination practices and outcomes in HCWs and assessed postvaccination seroprotection across HCWs in different departments.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey of HCWs in a Chinese public general hospital was carried out with a retrospective cohort of 1420 hospital HCWs (458 males and 962 females). HBV vaccination status (10-μg/dose used) was investigated in the cohort from vaccination records from the period of 1988 to 2008. Blood samples were collected and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV antibodies (anti-HBs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall vaccination (complete course) and HBsAg carrier rates among HCWs were 40.42 % (574/1420) and 6.13 % (87/1420), respectively. Vaccination rates differed by department, with HCWs in internal medicine (39.5 %) and emergency (42.0 %) departments having particularly low rates. The natural infection rate was 7.53 % (107/1420) among HCWs. HCWs in the department of infectious diseases (vaccination rate, 57.8 %) had the highest rate of antibody produced by natural infection (88.2 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vaccination rate was a disappointingly low among HCWs in Pearl River Delta Area of China. HCWs working in infectious diseases departments and technicians were at particularly likely to have been infected with HBV. A concerted effort is needed to bring vaccination rates up among Chinese HCWs in Pearl River Delta Area of southern China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. guangzhouzyb@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. guangzhouzyb@126.com.
authors.forename: Yu-Bao
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. 865576465@qq.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. 865576465@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yu-Rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. zm20051208@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. zm20051208@163.com.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. wangke19821@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. wangke19821@126.com.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. zhanlianh@21cn.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. zhanlianh@21cn.com.
authors.forename: Zhan-Lian
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. linchaoshuang@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. linchaoshuang@126.com.
authors.forename: Chao-Shuang
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. gaozl@21cn.com.|Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Tianhe road 600# Gangding, Guangzhou City, 510630, P.R. China. gaozl@21cn.com.
authors.forename: Zhi-Liang
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D045483:Rivers; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines