Seroprevalence of Varicella Antibodies Among New House Officers

Alagappan, Kumar; Fu, LeKuan; Strater, Sharon; Atreidis, Victoria; Auerbach, Charles

doi:10.1016/s0196-0644(99)70338-0

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For the reliability of the reported history of varicella, the overall PPV of reported history for serological immunity among SAF participants (94.3%) was comparable to other studies that have documented an average PPV of 97.3% amongst military personnel [14][15][16] and 95.6% amongst healthcare workers. 13,17,18 The NPV from this study of 67.1% was higher compared to other studies, where the NPV ranged from 6% 18 to 44%. 16 The higher NPV may have been attributed to the comprehensive explanations of the questions in our self-administrated questionnaire.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and the Reliability of a Self-reported History of Varicella Infection in Singapore Military Recruits

Dashraath

Ong²,

Lee

2007

Ann Acad Med Singap

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Varicella is an acute disease with significant morbidity. However, there is little knowledge on the seroepidemiology of the disease in Singapore. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of varicella zoster virus (VZV) antibodies in military recruits in Singapore and to ascertain the predictive value of a self-reported history of varicella. The latter is a possible proxy for seroprevalence, and may be used to provide efficient identification of candidates for vaccination. Materials and Methods: From September 2000 to October 2005, 2189 servicemen were selected during their pre-enlistment medical check-up. Blood samples were obtained to determine the varicella IgG levels via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Information about the participant’s race, history of varicella and vaccination, and other clinical variables were obtained through a questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of VZV seropositivity in military recruits was 76.0% (75.8% in the 16 years to 20 years age group). For the reported history, 73.7% of Chinese participants, 73.0% of Malays, and 63.6% of Indians reported having had varicella infection and/or vaccination. Overall, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of a self-reported history of varicella for serologically confirmed immunity were 87.2%, 83.2%, 94.3% and 67.1% respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of VZV antibodies in pre-enlistees to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is high. Incidence of varicella in the SAF is on the wane, indicating an increase in herd immunity against VZV. A recalled history of varicella infection was also a good predictor of serological immunity and may be used for selection for vaccination. Key words: Antibody, Chickenpox, Cost-effective, Military, Seroprevalence, Varicella zoster virus

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and the Reliability of a Self-reported History of Varicella Infection in Singapore Military Recruits

Dashraath

Ong²,

Lee

2007

Ann Acad Med Singap

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our results are consistent with a previous study on 241 employees at the Milwaukee Medical Complex 19) , which found a 98.2% immunity among nurses. A similar study among 154 house officers beginning their residency at a universityaffiliated teaching hospital showed that 96.2% (95% CI:93.2%-99.2%) had protective titers to varicella 20) . In contrast, a previous study on varicella in healthcare settings 21) showed significant seroprevalence differences among various health occupations, as student nurses present the highest seropositivity rates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Increased Susceptibility to Varicella‐Zoster Virus among Israeli Physicians and Nurses Born in the Middle‐East Region

Chodick

Ashkenazi

Livni

et al. 2006

Journal of Occupational Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increased Susceptibility to VaricellaZoster Virus among Israeli Physicians and NursesBorn in the Middle-East Region: Gabriel CHODICK, et al. Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel-Nosocomial transmission of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is recognized as a significant cause of morbidity in health care workers as well as in high-risk patients. The current study aimed to investigate the presence of VZV antibodies among physicians and nurses, to assess the variables affecting it, and to compare it with previous international studies. Data were obtained by a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic and occupational characteristics and by determination of serum antibodies to varicella-zoster. The seroprevalence of varicella-zoster among the 335 study participants was 94.8% (95%CI: 91.9%-96.9%), with no significant difference between nurses (94%) and physicians (97%). Decreased risk for the virus was observed in workers who immigrated to Israel from the Asia or Africa (OR=0.15; 95% CI: 0.04-0.51). Reduced immunity among these workers remained significant in a multivariate model, which also included age, gender, years of education, number of siblings, and crowding at childhood. Our data suggest that in spite of the high immunity among Israeli physicians and nurses in general, the implementation of small-scale vaccination programs aimed at workers from warmer and tropical areas, should be seriously considered. (J Occup Health 2006; 48: 246-252)

show abstract

“…This high rate of PPV means that we may rely on a positive result of the test (recall of disease occurrence). Several studies from other countries have also shown a reliable estimate for seroprevalence of infection through self-reported history [33,34]. Lower NPV than PPV may be attributable to early Varicella affection in the majority of participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and value of self-reported history of Varicella infection in Iranian medical students

Allami¹,

Mohammadi²,

Najar³

2014

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: We conducted this study to assess the seroprevalence of Varicella zoster virus (VZV) antibodies in a group of Iranian medical sciences students that were at risk of Varicella and the value of self-reported history as a predictor of immunity. Material and Methods: 255 medical, nursing and obstetrics students who had not entered as a student or worked in a hospital from 3 different schools were enrolled in the study in 2012 (Qazvin province, Iran). Demographics and other information as well as the history of Varicella were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to determine the Varicella IgG levels via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A statistical analysis was performed by calculating prevalences and their 95% confidence intervals. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, Cohen's kappa and positive and negative likelihood ratios of recalled history were determined. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.3±4.3 years. Seropositivity rate was 74.5%. The relationships between marital status, number of family members, and acquired VZV history with immunity against the virus were statistically significant. The overall rate of reported history was 57%. The positive and negative predictive values of self-reported history of Varicella were 91% and 47.3%, respectively. Conclusions: Immunization of students of Iranian medical sciences seems logical in the near future. Also, they should be tested for Varicella immunity regardless of the history of previous infection.

show abstract

Seroprevalence of Varicella Antibodies Among New House Officers

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and the Reliability of a Self-reported History of Varicella Infection in Singapore Military Recruits

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and the Reliability of a Self-reported History of Varicella Infection in Singapore Military Recruits

Increased Susceptibility to Varicella‐Zoster Virus among Israeli Physicians and Nurses Born in the Middle‐East Region

Seroepidemiology of Varicella and value of self-reported history of Varicella infection in Iranian medical students

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About