OBJECTIVETo investigate the status of vaccination against hepatitis B among postgraduate students of medical institutions of higher education in Guangzhou.

METHODSHBsAg and anti-HBs in the serum samples from 1139 postgraduate students were detected by ELISA. Data on hepatitis B vaccine inoculation were investigated by using a questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed by using SAS software.

RESULTSThe HBsAg positive rate among the 1139 postgraduate students was 2.90 percent. The HBsAg positive rates in hepatitis B vaccine inoculated (1.15 percent) and non- inoculated (21.69 percent) postgraduate students were significantly different (x2=119.11, P<0.0001). The positive rates of HBsAb between the two groups were also significantly different (x2=62.05, P<0.0001). Among the hepatitis B vaccine inoculated students, 17.31 percent were negative for HBsAb. The positive rate of HBsAb among those inoculated the vaccine within the past 3 years was higher than that among those inoculated the vaccine earlier (0-3 years vs. 4-6 year, P=0.0089) (0-3 years vs. 7-9 years, P=0.0172) (0-3 years vs. >9 years, P=0.0474). The positive rate of HBsAb among the students who received hepatitis B vaccine booster dose was higher than that of the students who did not receive any booster dose (P=0.0093).

CONCLUSIONWith the increase of ages, the effect of vaccination for hepatitis B decreased. Male populations may be more susceptible to hepatitis B virus than female. It is necessary to monitor HBsAb levels for those who were inoculated with HBV vaccine more than 3 years ago to give booster dose in time to prevent HBV infection.