Awareness of hepatitis B and C among students of nonmedical universities in Karachi

Background: Pakistan is highly endemic with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the incidence of HBV infection is rising steadily. The reasons may include poor public awareness about the transmission of HBV and HCV. Objectives: To assess the awareness of HBV and HCV among students in nonmedical universities. Methods: The study instrument was a structured 36 item questionnaire. After obtaining permission from the respective administrations, students were approached within their university campuses and were included by convenience sampling. The results were expressed as frequencies. Results: Five hundred students from 5 different institutions participated in the survey, with 100 students representing each institute. Most students did not recognize the possible modes of infection of hepatitis B that include reuse of syringes (57.2%), blood transfusions (62.6%), and sexual contact (57.4%). However, most (67.8%) students correctly believe that there is a vaccination available for the prevention of HBV. Most students did not recognize the possible modes of infection of hepatitis C that include reuse of syringes (61.8%), use of intravenous drugs of addiction (71.4%), sexual contact (55.6%), and blood transfusions (55.2%) as possible modes of transmission. Most students (51.8%) incorrectly believed that there is a vaccination available for the prevention of HCV. Conclusions: There is a prominent lack of awareness regarding the risk factors for HBV and HCV infection among the student community of nonmedical universities in Karachi, and an immediate need to conduct nationwide awareness programs to raise the awareness of HBV and HCV transmission in the Pakistani population exists.