Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Health Colleges’ Students in Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To determine the state of immunity to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the rate of HBV infection among students of health colleges and their knowledge, attitude and practice towards blood borne infections. Design: A representative sample of 501 health colleges’ students studying in King Khalid University southwestern Saudi Arabia was interviewed. Blood samples from these students were tested for anti-HBc IgG, anti-HBs, HBsAg, HBeAg/anti-HBe and anti-HBc-IgM. Results: Only a minority of students were aware of all safe injection practices (28.0%, 145) and all standard isolation precautions (20.6%, 103). Few (14.2%) received hepatitis B vaccination in the previous 5 years. Seven students (1.4%) were infected with HBV: One was at an early stage of his disease; the second was an asymptomatic chronic carrier and the remaining five recovered from their natural infection (an overall seroprevalence of 1.4%). Almost three quarters (74.9%) of the students did not have any protective antibody against HBV. Conclusions: Health colleges’ students should be considered as new recruits to health services in terms of their initial screening for blood borne infections and vaccination against HBV. It is mandatory to develop a structured program to raise their awareness. Current curricula should be revised to early address standard precautions and safe injections practices.