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Prevalence of Markers for Hepatitis B Virus and Vaccination Compliance Among Medical School Students in Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Andrea Trevisan*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Alberto Bruno
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Michele Mongillo
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Marta Morandin
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Anna Pantaleoni
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Matteo Borella-Venturini
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Monica Giraldo
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
*
Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, University of Padova, Via Gius-tiniani 2, 1-35128 Padova, Italy ([email protected])

Abstract

The prevalence of markers for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the rate of compliance with HBV vaccination laws were investigated in a study at Padua University Medical School (Italy). Of 2,361 students, 385 (16.3%) tested negative for antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen. When vaccination was actively offered to these students, there was a low rate of compliance (47.0% [181 students]) but a good rate of seroconversion (93.1% [95 of 102 students]). Screening for HBV markers appears to be crucial to efforts to increase rates of vaccination coverage.

Type
Concise Communications
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2008

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