CUTTACK: Even as non-inclusion of Hepatitis B in the national immunisation programmes by the Government continues to rankle campaigners against the killer disease, an amazingly low level of awareness or negligent attitude among the medical personnel has emerged as a major concern. Awareness on Hep-B is very poor among the general public but it is appalling that a significant number of doctors is not up to date on prevention measures and actions. According to sources, a major chunk of doctors and paramedical personnel has not taken the vaccine to protect themselves though the possibility of getting a needle prick or coming in contact with infected blood is extremely high. "It is important for the doctors to be educated, since around 10 percent of the 400 million people infected in the world are in India. In Orissa too, the prevalence is one in 100 but among tribals like Mankadia it is over three percent,' said HoD of Gastroenterology of SCBMCH and Chairman of Kalinga Gastroenterology Foundation (KGF) Dr S P Singh. The issue of vaccination has become more important as Hep-B virus has been found to even exist in occult form without being detected in the routine surface antigen tests, he said. On the eve of the