Biomaterial Database

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody among health care employees in Negri Sembilan, Malaysia, 1989. 1992

T C Tan, and M Vadivale, and C N Ong

Department of Community, Occupational & Family Medicine, National University of Singapore.

This study was based on a hepatitis B screening program conducted in one of the states in Malaysia in 1989. The majority (84.6%) of the 2986 health employees were screened. One quarter (25%) was found to have serological markers for the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV); 2.1% had Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) and 22.8% had antibody to the Hepatitis B surface Antigen (anti-HBs). The occurrence of HBsAg was higher in ethnic Chinese (6.3%) compared to Malays (1.8%) and Indians (0.9%), even when analyzed by sex, but not with age, type of institution and geographical locality. The distribution of anti-HBs was higher with ethnic Chinese (41.6%), male sex (27.2%) and age. There was a wide variation of the prevalence of serological markers among occupations and increased relative risks of HBsAg were found among medical assistants (RR3.7; 95% CI 1.4-9.1) and laboratory staff (RR 3.2; 95% CI 1-8.8), and that of anti-HBs among medical assistants (RR 2.8; 95% CI 1.8-3.7). The variations of HBsAg among occupations by type of institutions was marginal while that of anti-HBs was higher among attendants and midwives in hospitals, medical assistants in health departments, and assistant nurses and dentists in dental centers. The patterns of distribution of serological markers of HBV among health staff reflect the situation in the community with high endemicity and resemble specific occupational factors noted in previous studies in the West.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008296	Malaysia	A parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch in southeast Asia, consisting of 11 states (West Malaysia) on the Malay Peninsula and two states (East Malaysia) on the island of BORNEO. It is also called the Federation of Malaysia. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur. Before 1963 it was the Union of Malaya. It reorganized in 1948 as the Federation of Malaya, becoming independent from British Malaya in 1957 and becoming Malaysia in 1963 as a federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore (which seceded in 1965). The form Malay- probably derives from the Tamil malay, mountain, with reference to its geography. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p715 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p329)	Federation of Malaya,Malay Federation,Malay Peninsula,Malaya,Malaya Federation,Sabah,Sarawak
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D002353	Carrier State	The condition of harboring an infective organism without manifesting symptoms of infection. The organism must be readily transmissible to another susceptible host.	Asymptomatic Carrier State,Asymptomatic Infection Carrier,Inapparent Infection Carrier,Presymptomatic Carrier State,Presymptomatic Infection Carrier,Super-spreader Carrier,Superspreader Carrier,Asymptomatic Carrier States,Asymptomatic Infection Carriers,Carrier State, Asymptomatic,Carrier State, Presymptomatic,Carrier States,Carrier, Super-spreader,Carrier, Superspreader,Carriers, Super-spreader,Carriers, Superspreader,Inapparent Infection Carriers,Infection Carrier, Asymptomatic,Infection Carrier, Inapparent,Infection Carrier, Presymptomatic,Presymptomatic Carrier States,Presymptomatic Infection Carriers,Super spreader Carrier,Super-spreader Carriers,Superspreader Carriers
D005260	Female		Females
D006282	Health Personnel	Men and women working in the provision of health services, whether as individual practitioners or employees of health institutions and programs, whether or not professionally trained, and whether or not subject to public regulation. (From A Discursive Dictionary of Health Care, 1976)	Health Care Professionals,Health Care Providers,Healthcare Providers,Healthcare Workers,Health Care Professional,Health Care Provider,Healthcare Provider,Healthcare Worker,Personnel, Health,Professional, Health Care,Provider, Health Care,Provider, Healthcare
D006509	Hepatitis B	INFLAMMATION of the LIVER in humans caused by a member of the ORTHOHEPADNAVIRUS genus, HEPATITIS B VIRUS. It is primarily transmitted by parenteral exposure, such as transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products, but can also be transmitted via sexual or intimate personal contact.	Hepatitis B Virus Infection
D006510	Hepatitis B Antibodies	Antibodies to the HEPATITIS B ANTIGENS, including antibodies to the surface (Australia) and core of the Dane particle and those to the "e" antigens.	Anti-Australia Antigens,Anti-HBAg,Anti-Hepatitis B Antigens,Anti HBAg,Hepatitis B Virus Antibodies,Anti Australia Antigens,Anti Hepatitis B Antigens,Antibodies, Hepatitis B,Antigens, Anti-Australia,Antigens, Anti-Hepatitis B,B Antibodies, Hepatitis,B Antigens, Anti-Hepatitis,HBAg, Anti
D006514	Hepatitis B Surface Antigens	Those hepatitis B antigens found on the surface of the Dane particle and on the 20 nm spherical and tubular particles. Several subspecificities of the surface antigen are known. These were formerly called the Australia antigen.	Australia Antigen,HBsAg,Hepatitis B Surface Antigen,Antigen, Australia
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man