Hepatitis B Vaccination Status among Medical Students at King Faisal University

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Occupational exposure of health care workers and medical students increases their risk of acquiring HBV infection and many authorities recommend vaccination. However, significant number of them doesnt receive HBV immunization, and remains at an increased risk to the infection. Objective To determine the hepatitis B vaccination status among Medical students at King Faisal University (KFU) and define associated risk factors and possible causes. Result One hundred and ninety seven medical students at KFU completed self-administered questionnaires which included questions about demographic characteristics, HBV vaccination status, knowledge of hepatitis B vaccine and reasons for not receiving the vaccine. One hundred and seventeen (59.4 %) had received at least one dose of hepatitis B vaccine while 23 (11.7 %) had never received the vaccine, and 57 (28.9 %) of the students are not sure that they receive the vaccine. About 156 (79.2 %) participants received the hepatitis B vaccine after entering the college of medicine, 28 (14.7 %) did not. Only 67 (43.2 %) of those who received the vaccine, took the complete doses and 88 (56.8 %) received only 1 or 2 doses. First year medical students were less vaccinated than third year medical students (pless than0, 001). Conclusion The hepatitis B vaccination status among medical students at KFU is low. National and institutional legislation for adult vaccination against Hepatitis B should be promulgated for those at higher risk.