Rubella Seroprevalence Boost in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy) as a Preventive Strategy for Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS)

Zanella, Beatrice; Boccalini, Sara; Bonito, Benedetta; Riccio, Marco Del; Manzi, Federico; Tiscione, Emilia; Bonanni, Paolo; Bechini, Angela

doi:10.3390/vaccines8040599

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Thanks to the UVV program (set up in 2008 in Tuscany), the varicella cases successfully dropped from 350 notified cases/100,000 in 1992 to 20 notified cases/100,000 in 2018 [17]. Unlike the other seroprevalence studies carried out in the same sample of measles [19], rubella [20] and hepatitis B [21], in which no cases were reported to the surveillance system of infectious diseases, seven notifications were observed for varicella. Since varicella infections are rarely asymptomatic, the clinical diagnosis is generally easy [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Varicella seroprevalence investigation is part of a wider seroepidemiological project that has been carried out by the Department of Health Sciences of the University of Florence since 2017, aiming to assess varicella seroprevalence in the same sample population used for measles [ 19 ], rubella [ 20 ], hepatitis A and B [ 21 ] and tetanus surveillance. The overall goal of this study was to investigate the varicella seroprevalence in a pediatric and adolescent (1–18 years) population of the province of Florence and to relate the obtained data with the anamnestic and vaccination status of each subject, with particular attention to the varicella notifications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Study of Varicella Seroprevalence in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population in Florence (Italy). Natural Infection and Vaccination-Acquired Immunization

Zanella

Bechini²,

Bonito³

et al. 2021

Vaccines

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Background: Varicella is a well-known infectious disease that can have severe complications, also in young children. The Universal Varicella Vaccination (UVV) program was introduced in Tuscany (Italy) in 2003, with a two-dose vaccine schedule given to children between their 13th and 15th month, and at 5–6 years old, as a monovalent for varicella (V) or tetravalent (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV)) formulation. Although varicella notifications have dramatically fallen in the last two decades, varicella disease underreporting remains a challenge. Methods: A qualitative immunoenzymatic test (ELISA) was used to measure the presence of anti-varicella antibodies in 165 sera of subjects aged 1–18 years residing in the province of Florence (Italy). Information regarding the anamnestic and vaccination status (including disease notification) was also collected. Results: Our study showed an overall varicella seropositivity of 75.8% (reaching the maximum at 96.3% in the 15–18 years age group). We found that varicella disease notification had been recorded for only 7/165 subjects; however, since 42/165 recalled having had the disease, we can hypothesize that some of them must have been underreported. Furthermore, our study showed that the presence of antibodies after the varicella vaccination remained over time, lasting up to 12 years. Conclusions: Although varicella seroprevalence is <95% in almost all our age groups (except for the 15–18 years age group), our data are encouraging and reflect the success of the introduction of the UVV program and the vaccination campaigns promoted in the Tuscany region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study of Varicella Seroprevalence in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population in Florence (Italy). Natural Infection and Vaccination-Acquired Immunization

Zanella

Bechini²,

Bonito³

et al. 2021

Vaccines

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“…18–20 A study from Florence (Italy) also showed no significant difference in rubella antibodies between genders. 21 However, there is only one study that reported a significant difference between genders, possibly due to different definitions of cutoff values for seronegative and seropositive rubella antibodies. 22 Our study also revealed a decrease in the GMC of rubella IgG over time, and antibody levels were statistically significant with respect to the time since the last vaccination ( P < .001), which is similar to the results of another study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do adolescents need a rubella vaccination campaign? Rubella serosurvey among healthy children in Hangzhou, China

Wang,

Xu,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of rubella antibodies and factors associated with antibody seropositivity after vaccination among healthy children aged 14 and below. A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was employed to recruit participants for the rubella serological test. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to detect human IgG antibodies with avidity for rubella virus in the sera of participants. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze associations between variables. A total of 778 subjects were included in the subsequent analysis. The overall positive rate of rubella antibody was 83.0% (95%CI: 80.2–85.5%), and the overall geometric mean concentration (GMC) was 58.05 IU/ml. In multivariate analysis, gender, residence, birth year group, and time since the last rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) vaccination were significantly associated with the seroprevalence of rubella antibodies. Our study showed a decreasing trend in rubella antibody positivity and GMC in the population aged five to 14 years. Therefore, we recommend a catch-up dose of RCV for adolescents and young people aged over 14 years not yet vaccinated.

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“…This hepatitis A seroprevalence analysis is part of a wider seroepidemiological project carried out by the Department of Health Sciences of the University of Florence, started in 2017. This study included the seroprevalence investigation of other vaccine-preventable disease such as Hepatitis B [ 10 ], Measles [ 11 ], Rubella [ 12 ] and Varicella [ 13 ]. Blood samples collection took place at the blood sampling center of Meyer Children’s Hospital (Florence, Italy) in the period December 2017–April 2018.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study of Hepatitis A Seroprevalence in a Paediatric and Adolescent Population of the Province of Florence (Italy) in the Period 2017–2018 Confirms Tuscany a Low Endemic Area

et al. 2021

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Background: Italy is considered an area with very low HAV (hepatitis A virus) endemicity. Currently in Italy the anti-HAV vaccine is recommended only for specific risk groups and there is no universal vaccination program. The aim of this study was to assess the level of immunity against hepatitis A in a sample of children and adolescents from the province of Florence. Methods: A total of 165 sera were collected from subjects aged 1 to 18 years, proportionally selected according to the general population size and stratified by age and sex. A qualitative evaluation of anti-HAV antibodies was performed using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Anamnestic and vaccination status data were also collected. Results: Our study showed a hepatitis A seroprevalence of 9.1% in the enrolled population. A statistically significant difference in the prevalence of anti-HAV was found between Italian and non-Italian subjects. About half of the population having anti-HAV antibodies was reported to be vaccinated, and no cases of hepatitis A were found. Conclusions: The data from our study confirmed Tuscany as an area with low HAV endemicity and showed that hepatitis A seroprevalence is significantly higher in foreign children and adolescents. The presence of more seropositive subjects than those vaccinated was probably due to a natural immunization achieved through a subclinical infection and/or to underreporting of the surveillance systems.

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Rubella Seroprevalence Boost in the Pediatric and Adolescent Population of Florence (Italy) as a Preventive Strategy for Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS)

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

A Study of Varicella Seroprevalence in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population in Florence (Italy). Natural Infection and Vaccination-Acquired Immunization

A Study of Varicella Seroprevalence in a Pediatric and Adolescent Population in Florence (Italy). Natural Infection and Vaccination-Acquired Immunization

Do adolescents need a rubella vaccination campaign? Rubella serosurvey among healthy children in Hangzhou, China

A Study of Hepatitis A Seroprevalence in a Paediatric and Adolescent Population of the Province of Florence (Italy) in the Period 2017–2018 Confirms Tuscany a Low Endemic Area

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