Probability of exposure to the wild measles virus in adult population - Estimation from seroepidemiology and historical data.

Vaccination against measles is one of the most effective public health interventions which has saved millions of lives and interrupted circulation of the natural virus in the population. However, it is widely accepted that the immunity after vaccination can wane, especially in those who have had no contact with the virus. This study aimed to classify the particular birth cohorts of adults with regard to their exposure to the wild measles virus in the population with a long history of mandatory vaccination. We introduced two methods. In the first, we estimated the probability of exposure to the wild virus through an analysis of antibody levels from the Immunologic Survey performed in the Slovak Republic in 2018, while the second was based on historical epidemiological data. Both methods resulted in similar estimations. Cohorts born in Slovakia before 1964 can be considered to be cohorts in which most people were exposed to the wild measles virus. Cohorts born after 1977 can be designated as cohorts that most likely did not come into the contact with the wild virus. Cohorts born between 1965 and 1976 are composed of a mixture, with a decreasing proportion of people exposed to the wild virus with increasing year of birth. The proposed methods can help identify potential immunity gaps in the adult population. They can be applied in other countries with high measles vaccination coverage to estimate the probability of exposure to the wild measles virus in particular birth cohorts.

Healthcare-associated infections at intensive care unit of department of anesthesiology and intensive medicine at Martin Faculty Hospital.

We analyzed the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections (HAl) at intensive care unit of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Medicine of Martin Faculty Hospital in 2008. We performed a retrospective-prospective observation according the protocol of European HELICS (Hospital in Europe Link for Infection Control and Surveillance) system. We found 11 HAl (4.45%) which on average prolonged the length of hospitalization by 6 days. The most frequent localisation of HAl was the respiratory tract. By our own observation we found the same number of HAl cases as it had been reported officially but the observed and reported cases do not match. The surveillance system HELICS uses definitions slightly different from those used in Slovakia. The severity of health status of a patient at admission influences the risk of HAl. We suggest a continuing collaboration on HELICS system with further involvement of all departments of Martin Faculty Hospital and creation of a hospital infection control team. We also suggest an improvement in testing for etiologic agents of HAl and an introduction of methods of molecular epidemiology in diagnostics, as well as quantification of costs related to occurrence of HAl and to assess an implication of automated monitoring system in HAl surveillance.