[Prevalence of hepatitis B markers in the personnel of psychiatric hospitals]. / Prevalencia de marcadores de la hepatitis B entre el personal laboral de un hospital psiquiátrico.

The current rules and regulations in Spain state that those working in closed institutions, helping mentally disturbed patients, are considered personnel at risk for acquiring hepatitis B virus infection, without drawing distintions between professions and fields of work. The immunological state against HBV has been studied in a representative population group of workers of the Cadiz Provincial Psychiatric Hospital (82.90%). Our results show that the percentage of chronic carriers (3.15%) and those with other positive biological markers (30.07%) is greater than that found in the General hospitals of our country. Thus, the inclusion of this population group in preventive programs as well as vaccination programs against hepatitis B virus infection is totally justified.