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Brief Report: Influence of Country of Origin on Prevalence of Hepatitis B Markers Among Employees in a Small Suburban Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Frank Wilson Kiel
Frank Wilson Kiel*
Affiliation:
Hill and Associates, Houston, Texas
*
King Fahad Hospital, P.O. Box 22490, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia
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Abstract

Hepatitis risk in a small suburban hospital was evaluated by laboratory screening of all hospital employees for hepatitis immunologic markers. Excluding four U.S.-born subjects who had received hepatitis vaccination, the laboratory screening revealed 21% of those tested had some hepatitis B antigen or antibody. Positive markers were found in 46% of foreign-born compared to 10% of native-born (P<0.001). Foreign-born participants accounted for 68% of the employee population. The country of origin appeared to have a statistically significant greater importance as a determinant of hepatitis B status than occupational area in this particular hospital setting.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 7 , Issue 11 , November 1986 , pp. 554 - 556
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1986

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References

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