European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

The word “stigma”, deriving from the Greek verb στiζειν(to sting), was used during the classical period to indicatethe mark made with a spike on the forehead of a slavewhen he was found guilty of an offence, on the arm of aconscript recognized as suitable for serving the military,on the body of criminals and other people identified asconvicts. Stigma is a fundamental barrier to individuals seeking out mental health treatment in the Middle East. According to epidemiological studies conducted in Europe and in the United States, mental illnesses are common characteristics of our urban societies. Their frequency is estimated at almost one fourth of the general population in most countries

Saudi Arabia is considered to be an area of endemic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Among Saudi children, the overall HbsAg carrier rate dropped from 6.7% in 1989 to 0.3% in 1997 after mass HB vaccination program among adults prevalence is 0.22%. The prevalence varied by region, ranging from 0.03% to 0.72% with a mean prevalence of 0.15%.The coverage of hepatitis B vaccination remains low in developing countries to date. Building capacity in hepatitis B virus prevention and management for students is one of the pillars of the national viral hepatitis control strategy. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is considered a global problem which threatens the public health It may cause chronic infection which develops to liver cirrhosis and leads to death. The population infected with HBV has been found to be about 2 billion people, whereas annually 360 million people getting chronic liver disease and 600 thousand facing death either from chronic liver disease or liver cancer globally.