Seroprevalence of Measles Antibodies and Predictors for Seropositivity among Chinese Children

Abstract

Background: Supplementary measles immunization has been implemented since 2010 throughout China, yet few studies have reported its effect in the northwest regions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 2 to 4 years old (n = 755) from February to September 2014 in 25 towns of Qian County, Shaanxi Province. Blood samples were analyzed for measles antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent immunoglobulin G (IgG) assays. Socio-demographic factors were assessed by questionnaire. Data on vaccine dose were collected from town medical records. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with measles antibody seropositivity. Results: Measles antibody seroprevalence was 91.13% (95% CI: 89.52–92.83) in our sample. Compared with children whose mother’s highest education was primary school, seroprevalence was higher in children whose maternal education was middle school (adjusted OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7–2.8), high school (adjusted OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3–7.7), and college/university (adjusted OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2–9.3). Vaccine dose was positively associated with seropositivity. Conclusions: Measles seroprevalence is high in China and is associated with the mother’s education and vaccine dose.

Sero-survey of measles virus antibodies among symptomatic children attending Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

“…Another interesting finding in this study is that increase in measles IgG is directly proportional to increase in age, which is similar to the findings of other studies [ 17 ], [ 23 ], [ 24 ]. This may possibly be due to changes in maturation of the immune system or differences in vaccination schedule or both [ 19 ].…”

“…There was no significant difference in the prevalence of measles IgG antibodies among subjects with educated vs. uneducated parent in this study. This finding not corroborate with those of previous studies [ 17 ], [ 25 ]. This could be due to the recent house-to-house campaign and activities to vaccinate children, which tend to reach every child regardless of the educational and/or socioeconomic status of their parents.…”

“…This rate is significantly lower than measles IgG seroprevalence reported in other studies. For instance, measles IgG levels of 89.5%, 98.2%, 87.7% and 91.13% were reported in Germany, United Arab Emirates, Italy, and China, respectively [ 14 ], [ 15 ], [ 16 ], [ 17 ].…”