Occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus in hospital personnel in Cairo, Egypt.

ABSTRACT

To identify hospital occupational categories at potential risk of hepatitis B virus infection, a serologic survey was conducted for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti-HBs) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 765 employees at 4 hospitals in Cairo, Egypt. Overall, 3% HBsAg and 28% anti-HBs seromarkers. Combined HBsAg and anti-HBs frequencies by occupational group were nonprofessional staff (60%), dentists (32%), graduate nurses (33%), physicians (29%), and student nurses (26%). The main risk factors for hepatitis B infection were frequency of exposure to patients' blood (for physicians, p less than 0.001) and to patients with jaundice (for dentists, p less than 0.01), and years of exposure to patients, as reflected by duration of occupation (for physicians, p less than 0.001) and by age of health care worker. Seropositivity by sex was greater for males (p less than 0.01). Physician specialties with highest risk of infection (29 to 53%) were surgery, infectious diseases, obstetrics-gynecology, and emergency medicine.