Sero-epidemiology study of hepatitis B virus surface antibodies from 2017 to 2019 among Chinese young adults in Hunan Province: A three-year retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Data on the epidemiology characteristics of hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) are lacking among central southern undeveloped areas of China, especially for young adults. This study aims to demonstrate the sero-epidemiology characteristics of HBsAb among young adults. AIMS: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the epidemiological characteristics in prevalence of serum anti-HBs in college students of a university in Hunan Province, China. METHODS: Data were derived from the health records (including serum HBsAb data) among freshmen of a university from 2017 to 2019 in Hunan Province, China. RESULTS: A total of 13,426 freshmen with complete data who were born in Hunan Province were collected. The 3-year total prevalence of anti-HBs in freshmen was 44.75% with no statistically significant sex difference, the prevalence of anti-HBs is 46.93%, 53.13%, and 34.79% for 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. There are significant geographic differences of prevalence of anti-HBs in freshmen from different areas. The lowest prevalence of anti-HBs was 31.80% in freshmen from Xiangtan, and the highest prevalence of anti-HBs was 53.10% in freshmen from Yongzhou. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of serum anti-HBs among the freshmen in Hunan from 2017 to 2019 is much lower than the average national level, and the prevalence in 2019 is significantly lower than that in 2017 and 2019. There are significant differences in different time and areas of the prevalence of anti-HBs. There is a necessity to carry out area-specific intensive immunization plan in a timely manner among young population in Hunan Province, China.