Hepatitis B Virus Exposure, Seroprotection Status, and Susceptibility in Health Care Workers From Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Cross-Sectional Study

Siriphone Virachith   ^{1 *} , MD, MSc, PhD ;   Khanxayaphone Phakhounthong   ^{2 *} , MD, MSc ;   Vilaysone Khounvisith   ¹ , MD, MSc ;   Mayfong Mayxay   ^{3, 4, 5, 6} , MD, PhD ;   Sengchanh Kounnavong   ² , MD, MSc, PhD ;   Somphou Sayasone   ² , MD, MSc, PhD ;   Judith M Hübschen   ⁷ , MSc, PhD ;   Antony P Black   ^{1, 8} , BSc, PhD

¹ LaoLuxLab/Vaccine Preventable Diseases Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Laos, Ban Kao-gnot, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

² Lao Tropical and Public Health Institute, Ministry of Health, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

³ Institute of Research and Education Development, University of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

⁴ Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU), Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

⁵ Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

⁶ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore

⁷ Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

⁸ School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

*these authors contributed equally