Poor knowledge and Dismal awareness about Health implications and Availability of safe Vaccine for Hepatitis B virus in India 

Author:Prof. Anil Arora, Chairman, Institute of Liver Gastroenterology and Pancreatic Biliary Sciences
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital 

India

healthysoch

New Delhi, March 24, 2024:

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health issue, affecting around 296 million people globally and causing approximately 887,000 deaths yearly due to complications like liver end stage liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine for over 30 years, HBV infection rates remain high, especially in countries with lower socio-demographic indices such as India. Estimates indicate a prevalence of HBsAg positivity between 2% and 8%, with a recent meta-analysis suggesting an overall prevalence of 3.70%, translating to about 37 million HBV carriers in India. In spite of such high prevalence of HBV, the public knowledge about this disease is very poor in India. Public awareness and knowledge about HBV are crucial for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

A recent study from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, led by Dr Anil Arora, Dr Ashish Kumar and Dr Praveen Sharma aimed to assess the knowledge and vaccination status of the general public regarding hepatitis B viral infection in India. It was a meticulously crafted a cross-sectional survey to understand the insights into the public’s averseness and vaccination practices against Hepatitis B in India. Over 3,500 participants, excluding healthcare workers and individuals below 18 years, were surveyed to evaluate their knowledge across four critical domains: the cause and spread of Hepatitis B, the organs affected and the consequences, available treatment options, and vaccination information. The survey utilized a scoring system ranging from -20 to +22 to quantify the participants’ knowledge, with vaccination status also being rigorously assessed.

Our study revealed a concerning landscape of misinformation and gaps in understanding. A mere 25% of respondents exhibited adequate knowledge, indicating a significant portion of the population remains unaware of crucial facts about the virus, such as its transmission methods, effects on the liver, and the critical importance of vaccination. This lack of awareness suggests that misconceptions and insufficient education on Hepatitis B are widespread, necessitating targeted information campaigns to bridge these knowledge gaps.

Regarding vaccination status, the survey uncovered that only 22.7% of participants had completed the full Hepatitis B vaccination course. This low vaccination rate is alarming, especially considering the virus’s prevalence and the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing infection development of advanced liver disease called cirrhosis and liver cancer . Our study also highlighted disparities in vaccination uptake, influenced by factors such as gender, education levels, and the urban-rural divide. These disparities underline the importance of not only increasing overall vaccination efforts but also ensuring that these initiatives reach and are accessible to all segments of the population, particularly those most at risk of developing hepatitis B virus infection like those with immuno compromised states, extreme of ages, accidental needle pricks tattooing, transplant recipients and the ones who receive blood transfusion 

Dr. Anil Arora, the principal investigator of the study, emphasized the need for targeted public health interventions to improve awareness and vaccination coverage. Educational campaigns should focus on the general public, with particular emphasis on females, older individuals, those with lower education levels, and rural residents, who demonstrated lower knowledge scores and vaccination rates in the study participants. In addition, efforts should be made to increase awareness about the importance of completing the full vaccination schedule, for adequate efficacy as it was not uncommon for people to have one or two doses of vaccination and forget the last one Dr Ashish Kumar reiterated that comprehensive strategies addressing both health literacy and vaccination coverage are vital for achieving the national and global targets for HBV control.