Abstract
A prevalence study of HBV serologic markers was carried out among hospital employees of ten departments of the Second School of Medicine in Naples, an urban area with a high prevalence of HBV infection.
Departments and occupational categories were selected to represent a spectrum of different exposure to B virus infection. Workers in a large electronic plant in the same geographical area were screened as controls. HBsAg prevalence was 4.8% in the hospital community and 4.0% in control group. It rises to 4.3% in the Campania Region, where all screened workers live, and in some specific areas of the same region it rises to 12%. But no significant difference among seropositivities for at least 1 marker of HBV, considered to be a better indicator of occupational hazard, was found among personnel of different departments or belonging to different occupational categories. None of the occupational and non-occupational risk factors studied was found to be significantly associated with HBV infection.
Two years later, an incidence study was carried out among susceptible subjects. Seropositivity for 1 marker was 2.2% among hospital workers and 2.8% in the control group. These figures are lower than the annual attack rate (5%) required for an acceptable cost-benefit ratio of vaccination against hepatitis B.
Our results indicate that in a geographical area with HBV endemicity the occupational hazard for B virus infection is low in hospital workers because of the high number of immunized subjects and the contacts with infected people out of the hospital.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bollettino Epidemiologico Nazionale. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Laboratorio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica. Roma N. 6, 9/2/1984.
Callender M.E., White Y.S. and Williams R. (1982): Hepatitis B virus infection in medical and health care personnel. - Br. Med. J. 284: 324–326.
Centers for disease control (1982): Inactivated hepatitis B virus vaccine. - Morbid Mortal. Weekly Rep. 31: 318–328.
Dienstag J.L. and Ryan D.M. (1982): Occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus in hospital personnel: infection or immunization? - Am. J. Epidemiol. 115: 26–39.
Fendi F., Lazzarin A., Ragni M.C., Gobbi G. and DiPaolo L. (1982): Considerazioni epidemiologiche sulla diffusione del virus B dell'epatite in ambiente ospedaliero. - Giorn. Mal. Infett. Parass. 34: 275–282.
Ferroni P., Zanetti A.R., Giunta R., Bombardieri E., Riva C., Tanzi E. and Parmesan L. (1981): L'infezione da HBV nel personnee di un Centro di Oncologia. -L'igiene Moderna 76: 521–530.
Gerardo P., Rocca G., Bonino F., Piobbici M., PoliG., Rocca W.A., Peyretti F., Brusa A. and Verme G. (1984): Infezione da virus dell'epatite B nel personale ospedaliero: strategia per una corretta vaccinazione. -L'igiene Moderna 82: 766–777.
Giusti G., Galanti B. and Gaeta G.B. (1980): Epidemiology of viral hepatitis in Italy. - Boll. Ist. Sieroter. Milanese 59: 571–580.
Manzillo G., Izzo C.M., Maio G., Fiorentino F., De Luca R., Simioli F. and Sbreglia C. (1985): Epidemiologia delle epatiti virali acute in Campania. — International Symposium on “New acquirements in Hepatology” Napoli, Italy, 23 Novembre.
Maynard J.E. (1978): Viral hepatitis as an occupational hazard in the health care profession. In: VyasG.N., CohenS.N., SchmidR. (Eds.): Viral hepatitis. Franklin Institute Press, 321–331. Philadelphia.
Maynard J.E. (1982): Prevention of hepatitis B through the use of vaccine. - Ann. Intern. Med. 97: 442–444.
Mulley A.G., Silverstrein M.D. and Dienstag J.L. (1982): Indicators for use of hepatitis B vaccine based on cost-effectiveness analysis. - N. Engl. J. Med. 307: 644–654.
Passoni M. and DeCandido R. (1984): La infezione da virus B dell'epatite: studio di prevalenza dei markers sierologici nei lavoranti ospedalieri. - Giorn. Mal. Infett. Parass. 36: 591–593.
Piazza M. (1985): Epatite virale acuta e cronica. —Ghedini Ed. Milano, 77–82.
Snydman D.R., Munoz A., Werner B.G., Polk B.F., Craven D.E., Plott R., Crumpacker C., Ouellet-HellstromR., Nash B., Grady G.F. and Dienstag J.L. (1984): A multivariate analysis of risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among hospital employees screened for vaccination. - Am. J. Epidemiol. 120: 684–693.
Verme G., Piccinino F., Rizzetto M. and Giusti G. (1980): I portatori dell'Antigene Australia (HBsAg). Problemi attuali. Il Fegato 27: 81–114.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Antoniello, S., Auletta, M., Cerini, R. et al. Hepatitis B virus infection among health care workers at an urban teaching hospital in southern Italy: A low occupational hazard?. Eur J Epidemiol 5, 228–233 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156836
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156836