HEPATITIS B VACCINATION STATUS AND NEEDLE STICK INJURY EXPOSURE AMONG OPERATING ROOM STAFF IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an infective blood-borne pathogen that is a constant threat to operating room staff. The prevalence of Hepatitis B has been reported to range from 4.3% - 68% in Nigeria. The inadequate funding of health care in low income countries impacts negatively on the implementation of effective vaccination programs to protect health care workers including surgical theatre personnel.

To determine the Hepatitis B vaccination status and the needle stick injury exposure among operating room staff in Lagos, Nigeria.

The multicentre prospective survey was conducted in three public tertiary hospitals and two private hospitals in Lagos utilising a self-administered structured questionnaire that was distributed to operating room staff.

We found that 96.7% (265) of respondents agreed that their job had exposed them to the risk of HBV infection. Over half (55.8%) correctly identified three doses of HBV as adequate to confer immunity against infection. It was observed that 58% (159) of the respondents were fully vaccinated, most of whom were doctors (69.8%, p=0.001) while a total of 173 (63.1%) reported exposure to needle-stick injury with blood in the preceding year.

The operating room personnel were knowledgeable about the risk of HBV as an occupational hazard but a large number were not fully vaccinated against HBV infection. There was therefore the need to improve the vaccination coverage and educate identified high-risk operating room staff on appropriate post exposure prophylaxis practices.