Frequency of Hepatitis B in Children Applying to Outpatient Clinics of Pediatrics in Meram Medical Faculty of Selcuk University

Aim: Hepatitis B virus infection is a very important health problem in our country. In this regard, we evaluated the children who were inspected in our outpatient clinics for Hepatitis B virus seropositivity. We aimed to join the children who were seronegative in the immunization program. Material and method: A total of 297 children between the ages of 3 months and 18 years who were inspected in the General Pediatric Outpatient Clinics of Meram Medical Faculty except for jaundice between July 2005 and December 2005 were evaluated. The children were divided into two groups as 3 months-7years and 8-18 years. After getting permission from parents, 3 cc venous blood samples were collected from all of the children. The serological markers of Hepatitis B virus were studied by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Method in the microbiology laboratories of Meram Medical Faculty. The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 10.0 program. Results: Anti-HBs positivity were found in 143 ( 48,1 %) of 297 children. One hundred seventeen (81,8 %) of those children were vaccinated while 26 (17,5 %) of them had experienced the infection. Five children (%1,6) had HBsAg positivity. The ratios of children who were vaccinated were 66,4 % in 3 months-7years group and 11,0 % in 8-18 years group, respectively. The ratio of children who were vaccinated was 39,3 % in all children. Conclusion: Although Hepatitis B vaccination is a part of our National Immunization Program, the seropositivity of our region is not as much as it is expected. In this study, we found that the people in our region are not well-informed about the necessity of vaccination against Hepatitis B virus infection, and attention is called to the importance of our job in this point.