Hepatitis B serology testing and vaccination for Gambian healthcare workers: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B infection is a significant global health threat contributing to healthcare worker (HCW) harm, threatening already precarious health systems.

AIM: To document self-reported hepatitis B vaccination history and serology results.

SETTING: A select group of high-risk HCWs in a tertiary care hospital in Banjul, the Gambia.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional pilot study conducted from 12 June 2023 to 16 June 2023. Participants were HCWs at high risk for blood exposure who completed a health history interview prior to serology testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) and vaccination.

RESULTS: The pilot study enrolled 70 HCWs who were primarily female (n = 44; 62.9%). The majority of the participants, 43 (61.4%) reported having received at least one dose of the hepatitis B vaccine in the past. The overall prevalence of HBsAg positivity in this study was 4.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-11.9), all in older participants. Importantly, 60.0% (95% CI: 48.3-70.7) of participants had no anti-HBs detected.

CONCLUSION: This pilot study documents a higher prevalence of hepatitis B infection among older workers and the lack of anti-HBs across the majority of participants. This suggests a serious vulnerability for the individual health worker and indicates the need for a wider screening and vaccination campaign to assess the risk across the Gambian health workforce.

CONTRIBUTION: This pilot study provides the first evidence to support a wider assessment of hepatitis B serology status of Gambian health workers to gauge the need for a broader vaccine campaign.