Hepatitis B vaccination in young nurses of a general hospital.

Several reports have clearly demonstrated that intradermal way of administration of hepatitis B vaccine represent a valid alternative to the intramuscular route, producing an high percentage of seroconversion. The characteristics of the intradermal way, short time of immunization and lower cost, have induced us to conduct a clinical trial among 116 healthcare workers in a hospital setting, which represent an high risk group especially at their first admission to the hospital. 99 selected participants (average age 22 years, range 17-27) received, after screening for HBV markers, 5 mcg of vaccine intradermally on the volar surface of the forearm, according to the schedule 0, 15, 30 and 45 days. Serum samples were collected after one month from the last inoculation of vaccine. The percentage of seroconversions obtained was significantly high (93.9%) confirming that intradermal vaccination with hepatitis B vaccine may be appropriate in providing a rapid protection for certain population subgroups.