Study on HBsAg Reactivity on Students of a Residential University

Abstract

Hepatitis B Virus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality not only in Bangladesh but also globally. This cross-sectional type of descriptive study was undertaken to find out the occurrence of HBsAg reactivity among the residential university students. It was conducted among 96 residential students at Dhaka University from 1st December 2009 to 16th April 2010. A self-responding questionnaire (SRQ) was used to collect data by convenient sampling. The blood samples were taken by the volunteers and the author herself and then tested by Latex quick test and then the reactive results were rechecked with ELISA. The findings were analyzed in relation to HBsAg reactivity and its risk factors like gender, duration of hostel staying, frequency of needle prick in last year, history of previous jaundice, EPI coverage in study population and characteristics of HBsAg positive subjects. In this study the occurrence of HBsAg was found to be 3.13%. Among 96 respondents, 93 respondents (96.87%) were negative, and 3 respondents were reactive for HBsAg.  Two positive respondents were found among 68 respondents who were under EPI coverage. Regarding the history of needle prick in last year, out of 3 positive subjects only 2 had a history of needle prick reported to use disposable syringe. None had a history of jaundice among the positive subjects. In this study no relationship was found with duration of hostel staying or other risk factors after statistical analysis. Hepatitis B continues to be a global public health problem despite efforts to eliminate this chronic viral disease through education, screening, and vaccination programs.