Measles, rubella, mumps and chicken pox seroprevalence of health workers in a second level hospital

Abstract   Healthcare workers are a professional group subject to a risk of occupational exposure to a variety of infectious agents. From a public health perspective, their immune status has a great impact on the worker’s own health, on the patients and on the general population. Measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox are vaccine-preventable diseases caused by viruses. Seroprevalence surveys are a powerful evaluation tool that provide information on the frequency, distribution, and dynamics of communicable diseases. In this study, the prevalence of immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella viruses was analyzed in healthcare workers in a General Hospital of Granada (Spain). A cross-sectional study examining the seroprevalence was carried out in a population of health professionals incorporated into the General Hospital between January 2021 and February 2022. 260 professionals were studied, classified into groups according to age: 20-29, 30-39. Serum determination of IgG to measles virus was performed using a marketed chemiluminescent immunoassay. The resulting seroconversion rates were: 66.54% measles, 89.75% rubella, 84.62% mumps, and 88.08% chickenpox. The lowest rates were observed for measles, resulting in a minimum among professionals between 20-29 years of age, with a seroconversion rate of 65.4%. In general, women had a higher percentage of antibodies against measles. The highest rates were for the varicella virus, reaching up to 93.18% among health professionals between 30-39 years old. Considerable decrease in titers of antibodies against measles is observed in healthcare workers, especially in the age group 20-29 years, which may be due to the loss of serological protection as time goes by since vaccination with the 2nd dose of Triple Viral, possibly due to the absence of contact with the wild virus. It will be necessary to assess the need for new vaccination strategies in certain population groups such as healthcare workers based on their risk of exposure. Key messages • It will be necessary to assess the need for new vaccination strategies in certain population groups. • More seroprevalence studies are necessary to update the status of protection against infectious disease.


Background:
The constantly growing refugee population may constitute public health threat in Poland in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. This study objective was to investigate COVID-19 knowledge among Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was carried out between March-April 2022 among Ukrainian refugees registering in Zielona Gó ra, Poland. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was used which included 10 questions related to COVID-19 knowledge. Each correct answer was given 1 point.

Results:
Response rate was 96.0%, 190 Ukrainians responded (mean age 37.8AE15.7 years; 42.1% males); 52.1% were living in the cities >50,000 inhabitants; 61.6% reported high SES; 39% higher education; 44.2% were married. The mean knowledge score was 3.47 (SD AE 2.2), 15.8% collected >50% points. The knowledge level was higher among those with higher SES (p < 0.0001) and higher education (p = 0.003); 31.7% stated that SARS-CoV-2 is an animal-human transmitted disease (more with high SES, p = 0.004), 55.0% considered COVID-19 as highly contagious disease (more living in bigger cities, p = 0.04), 26.3% reported that SARS-CoV-2 infection ensures lifetime immunity (more unmarried, p = 0.02); 24.7% correctly stated that compared with 18-to 30-year-olds COVID-19 mortality rate is about 10 times higher in those who are >65 years (more with higher education and high SES; p < 0.05, p = 0.01 respectively), 44.4% -that COVID-19 treatments are now available (more with high SES and higher education; p = 0.03 both). Regarding prevention, 37.0% reported that FFP3 is the most protective type of mask, 43.3% that vaccines effectively protect against COVID-19 (more with high SES; p = 0.006, p < 0.001 respectively). Conclusions: COVID-19 knowledge among Ukrainian refugees in Poland was far unsatisfactory, in particular among those with lower education and lower SES. Educational campaigns are urgently needed to effectively raise the knowledge level in this vulnerable group to better control the pandemic.

Key messages:
This study results may be used by public health experts to expand educational campaigns targeting Ukrainian refugees in Poland. COVID-19 education oriented to Ukrainian refugees in Poland should specifically address deficits of knowledge identified in this study.
Healthcare workers are a professional group subject to a risk of occupational exposure to a variety of infectious agents. From a public health perspective, their immune status has a great impact on the worker's own health, on the patients and on the general population. Measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox are vaccine-preventable diseases caused by viruses. Seroprevalence surveys are a powerful evaluation tool that provide information on the frequency, distribution, and dynamics of communicable diseases. In this study, the prevalence of immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella viruses was analyzed in healthcare workers in a General Hospital of Granada (Spain). A cross-sectional study examining the seroprevalence was carried out in a population of health professionals incorporated into the General Hospital between January 2021 and February 2022. 260 professionals were studied, classified into groups according to age: 20-29, 30-39. Serum determination of IgG to measles virus was performed using a marketed chemiluminescent immunoassay. The resulting seroconversion rates were: 66.54% measles, 89.75% rubella, 84.62% mumps, and 88.08% chickenpox. The lowest rates were observed for measles, resulting in a minimum among professionals between 20-29 years of age, with a seroconversion rate of 65.4%. In general, women had a higher percentage of antibodies against measles. The highest rates were for the varicella virus, reaching up to 93.18% among health professionals between 30-39 years old. Considerable decrease in titers of antibodies against measles is observed in healthcare workers, especially in the age group 20-29 years, which may be due to the loss of serological protection as time goes by since vaccination with the 2nd dose of Triple Viral,