Research Article
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Associated Factors
among Health Professionals in University of Gondar Hospital,
Northwest Ethiopia
Aynishet Adane Gebremariam ,
1
Adino Tesfahun Tsegaye ,
2
Yalelet Fentaw Shiferaw,
3
Mebratu Mitiku Reta ,
1
and Alem Getaneh
4
1
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar,
Gondar, Ethiopia
2
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences,
University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
3
University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia
4
Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences,
University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
Correspondence should be addressed to Aynishet Adane Gebremariam; ayne.2003@yahoo.com
Received 3 September 2018; Revised 10 December 2018; Accepted 23 December 2018; Published 3 March 2019
Academic Editor: Gerardo E. Guill´ en Nieto
Copyright © 2019 Aynishet Adane Gebremariam et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Introduction. Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the commonest occupational risks in healthcare workers. However; there is
limited evidence regarding the prevalence of hepatitis in health professionals in Ethiopia. Objective. Tis study was aimed at
assessing the prevalence of hepatitis B and associated factors in health professionals. Methods. Institution based cross-sectional study
was conducted among health professionals at University of Gondar Hospital from January to February, 2015. Self-administered
questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic variables and blood sample was also taken to determine hepatitis B virus sero-
status. Chi square test with 95% confdence interval (CI) was computed to assess the associations of diferent factors with hepatitis
B infection. Result. A total of 332 health professionals (with a response rate of 92.2%) participated in the study. Most (98.5%) of
health professionals were not vaccinated for hepatitis B. Te prevalence of hepatitis B in health professionals at UOG hospital was
found to be 4.52% (95% CI: 2.4, 6.5). Hepatitis B infection was more common among males (P value =0.0299). Conclusion. Te
prevalence of hepatitis B in health professionals in this study was comparable with other studies done in Ethiopia among health
professionals. Males were more afected than females for hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B virus vaccine, treatment for the infected,
and training on infection prevention should be more available for healthcare workers.
1. Introduction
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a small double-stranded DNA
virus which predominantly afects the liver. It is a global
public health problem accounting for more than 300 million
HBV carriers worldwide and is found to be high in the
developing countries particularly in Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa with a prevalence rate of 10-20%. HBV is one of the
most common causes of acute and chronic liver disease [1].
Diferent community-based studies conducted in
Ethiopia showed that the prevalence of hepatitis B
seropositivity (HBsAg) ranges from 5 to 11% [2–7].
Although the modes of transmission of HBV vary in
diferent geographical areas, the main routes of transmission
are sexual intercourse, parenteral contact, and vertical
transmission [8]. A study done in Ethiopia showed that
the predominant modes of HBV transmission were found
to be horizontal intrafamilial spread, harm full traditional
practices, and use of unsterile materials [9].
HBV is one of the most commonly transmitted blood-
borne viral infections in healthcare settings; hence it is the
leading issue of concern particularly in resource-limited
Hindawi
Advances in Preventive Medicine
Volume 2019, Article ID 7136763, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/7136763