Analysis of HbsAg positivity rate before and after vaccination in Turkish and Syrian refugee pregnant women

Abstract

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to investigate the vaccination rate in Turkish and Syrian pregnant women who gave birth in our hospital, research the difference before and after vaccination, compare these results with other studies conducted in our country and be beneficial to physicians in the follow up of this patient group, who we started to encounter rather frequently in recent months.

Methodology: The data of pregnant women who were referred to Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Education and Research Hospital between January and December 2015 were retrospectively investigated.

Results: A total of 4186 pregnant women, 2158 of Syrian and 2028 of Turkish, were included in this study. The rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) positivity was 1.4% among all pregnant women. This value was found to be 1.8% among Turkish women and 1.1% among Syrian women. Evaluation of age distribution showed that there were 30 Turkish pregnant women born after the inclusion of vaccine into the program (1998 and later), of which one was HbsAg positive. While out of 958 Syrian women born in 1991 and later, 10 were HbsAg positive.

Conclusion: This study shows that the surveillance of hepatitis among pregnant women, including refugees and locals is important to protect fetus and guide in planning of preventive measures such as administration of vaccines and immunoglobulins. Timely prevention may decrease morbidity and mortality caused by hepatitis viruses.