Seroprevalence survey of measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella antibodies and measles vaccination in Japanese health care workers

摘要

Purpose: Vaccine-preventable viral infectious diseases have increased in adults over the past 10 years in Japan. To reduce the incidence of viral infections and determine antibody titers, a seroprevalence survey was conducted in 1560 health care workers. Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 1560 health care workers to test antibody titers. Subjects were screened for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella immunoglobulin G (IgG) in serum samples. Measles vaccinations were offered to those with negative serologic results for antibodies against the virus. Results: Antibody titers that meet the criteria required for HCWs were obtained from 80.7% of subjects for measles, 79.8% for rubella, 70.1% for mumps, and 98.7% for varicella. A significantly lower prevalence of the measles antibody was found in workers below 40 years of age. A significantly higher prevalence of the rubella antibody was found in female below 50 years of age. This trend was not observed in male. A lower prevalence rate of the mumps antibody was observed in all subjects compared with that of other antibody titers, while a high prevalence rate for the varicella antibody was observed in all subjects. Conclusion: These data indicate that all health care workers should be vaccinated against (or have documented immunity to) these viruses.