Seroprevalence of hepatitis virus antibodies in paramedical students.

Paramedical students of Padua University Medical School were investigated to evaluate the seroprevalence of hepatitis A, B and C virus antibody levels. They were 1,027 subjects, prevalently from Italy (mostly from Veneto Region), but also from different geographical places such as Western and Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central and Southern America. Seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus antibodies was significantly (p<0.05) higher in males than in females and (p<0.001) in subjects older than 40 years. High rate of positive hepatitis A virus antibodies was observed in students from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central and Southern America. On the contrary, few students (1.1 percent) were past infected with hepatitis B virus; among these, 0.3 percent was positive for HBs antigen. Compliance to vaccination appeared on the whole high (85.9 percent), but significantly (p<0.001) higher in females (88.5 percent) than in males (79.5 percent) and (p<0.001) in subjects aged 24 years or less (93.7 percent), probably covered by the law. Non responders were, on the average, 2.8 percent. Low vaccination compliance (60.8 percent) was in students outside Italy or Western Europe. Finally, a very low prevalence (0.3 percent) of hepatitis C virus antibody level was observed.