Immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases among paediatric healthcare workers in Denmark, 2019.
Euro Surveill
; 26(17)2021 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33928900
ABSTRACT
BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCW) have been identified as index cases in disease outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) in hospitals.AimWe investigated whether Danish paediatric HCW were protected against selected serious VPD.MethodsWe included 90% of staff members from two paediatric departments. All 555 HCW (496 women) supplied a blood sample for serology and filled in a questionnaire. Antibodies were measured with enzyme immunoassay against measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), varicella zoster, pertussis toxin and diphtheria toxin.ResultsProtective levels of IgG were found for measles (90.3%), mumps (86.5%), rubella (92.3%), varicella (98.6%) and diphtheria (80.5%). We found seropositivity for all three MMR components in 421 (75.9%) HCW, lowest in those younger than 36 years (63.3%). Only 28 (5%) HCW had measurable IgG to pertussis. HCW with self-reported immunity defined as previous infection or vaccination, had protective levels of IgG against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella in 87.4-98.8% of cases, not significantly higher than in those not reporting immunity. Previous history of disease had a high positive predictive value (PPV) of 96.8-98.8%. The PPV for previous vaccination ranged from 82.5% to 90.3%. In contrast, negative predictive values of self-reported history of disease and vaccination were remarkably low for all diseases.ConclusionThe immunity gaps found primarily in young HCW indicate a need for a screening and vaccination strategy for this group. Considering the poor correlation between self-reported immunity and seropositivity, efforts should be made to check HCW's immune status in order to identify those who would benefit from vaccination.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Rubéola (Sarampión Alemán)
/
Enfermedades Prevenibles por Vacunación
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Sarampión
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Paperas
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Child
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Female
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Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Euro Surveill
Asunto de la revista:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Dinamarca