{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T03:34:29Z","timestamp":1771472069814,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"World Health Organization, Western Pacific Regional Office","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["WPSAR"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: Hepatitis B virus infection is hyperendemic in Kiribati (~15% prevalence rate), with vaccination and antiviral treatment being the mainstays of control. Prevalence, knowledge and attitudes among health-care workers and antenatal mothers are poorly understood.\n\nMethods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among health-care workers and antenatal mothers at Tungaru Central Hospital on South Tarawa, Kiribati in 2022. The study included hepatitis B virus serology and a bilingual questionnaire.\n\nResults: Fifty-one health-care workers and 49 women receiving antenatal care participated in the study. Most health-care workers (98.0%) had heard of the hepatitis B virus and most (54.9%) exhibited a moderate level of knowledge. Less than half (46.9%) of the antenatal mothers had heard of the hepatitis B virus and most (63.3%) had a low level of knowledge. Most health-care workers (60.8%) and half of antenatal mothers (49.0%) had satisfactory attitudes towards screening, care-seeking and vaccination, and 93.9% approved of adult catch-up vaccination. Hepatitis B virus prevalence was 23.0% (15.7% of health-care workers, 30.6% of antenatal mothers).\n\nDiscussion: Extensive educational campaigns for antenatal mothers are needed to enhance awareness of the infection, while training for health-care workers on transmission, prevention and treatment is critical for informing and galvanizing action on hepatitis B virus.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5365\/wpsar.2025.16.4.1242","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T02:17:13Z","timestamp":1771467433000},"page":"33-42","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hepatitis B prevalence, knowledge and attitudes among health-care workers and antenatal mothers attending a tertiary hospital in South Tarawa, Kiribati: insights from a 2022 cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.5365","volume":"16","author":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Tungaru Central Hospital, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Tarawa, Kiribati","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thomas","family":"Russell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vikash","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alice","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Gastroenterology and Liver Services, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3383","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,31]]},"container-title":["Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T02:17:14Z","timestamp":1771467434000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/ojs.wpro.who.int\/ojs\/index.php\/wpsar\/article\/view\/1242"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,31]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5365\/wpsar.2025.16.4.1242","relation":{},"ISSN":["2094-7321","2094-7313"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2094-7321","type":"print"},{"value":"2094-7313","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025]]}}}