Evaluation of Immune Status among Hepatitis B Vaccinated Health Care Professionals in a Tertiary Care Setting in Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India - A Pilot Study

Infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious health concern for healthcare professionals (HCWs). The only way to lower occupational HBV infection is to vaccinate to this risk population. But, the long term immunity after HBV vaccination is still debated. A good indicator of a vaccinee's protective immunological response is the hepatitis B surface antibody (antiHBs) titer. Hence, estimation of their immune status following HBV vaccination can assist them to decide about the post-exposure prophylaxis during occupational exposure. Therefore, the objective was to determine the anti-HBs antibody titres of healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Salem district. This prospective study was conducted in Viral Research & Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical Hospital, Salem District. Totally 100 samples have been collected from health care workers for the quantification of serum anti-HBs levels using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay technique using a commercially available kit (DIAPRO) strictly adhering to the manufacturer’s protocol. Statistical analysis (ANOVA & chi-square test) was done using SPSS 23.0. Comparison of mean ages (p= 0.47), gender (p=0.6) at different immune response groups found to be statistically insignificant. Distribution of gender according to the different age group found to be statistically insignificant (p=0.75). Among the study population, 77(85.5%) showed seroconversion in response to the Hepatitis B vaccine. Among them 59(65.5%) were highly protective and 18(20%) protective and 13 (14.5%) were non-protective. No statistically significant association was found between mean age, sex with immune response (p>0.05). The present study emphasis, antibody titres decreased with the passage of time after vaccination. To significantly lower the incidence of the disease after an occupational exposure, mandatory HBV vaccination and post-vaccination anti-HBs titer measurement in healthcare workers should be prioritized.