Measles, Rubella, Mumps and Varicella Seropositivity in Health Technician Students: A Seroprevalence Study

Measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox infections are among the childhood diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. Healthcare workers are at greater risk of diseases transmitted through contact with patients' respiratory secretions, infected blood and body fluids. Students studying in the field of health are at the risk of encountering infectious diseases as much as healthcare personnel during their internship and practice experience in healthcare institutions during their education. In addition, due to the risk of these students becoming a source of contamination to the patients they encounter, it is important to know their immunity against infectious diseases, to take protective measures before encountering patients and to implement the necessary vaccination programs. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox among health technician students studying at Dokuz Eyl & uuml;l University Vocational School of Health Services. The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of second-year students at Dokuz Eyl & uuml;l University Vocational School of Health Services. Five hundred fifty health technician students participated in the research. The data of the study was obtained by survey and serology results. The survey included questions regarding the students' sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, place of residence during childhood); information about their families (education level of mother and father, economic status of the family); presence of a history of measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox; and history of vaccination against measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox. Specific IgG type antibodies to measles, rubella, mumps and varicella viruses were determined using ELISA kits. IgG test results of these diseases were classified as qualitative (positive or negative). In this study, measles, rubella, mumps and chickenpox seropositivity in students was found to be 21.8%, 89.3%, 64.7%, 92.9%, respectively. Measles seropositivity was higher in students aged >= 21 years and with low income levels. Rubella seropositivity was higher in students who lived in rural areas and had low income during their childhood. Mumps and chickenpox seropositivity was higher in students who reported having mumps and chickenpox. Chickenpox seropositivity was higher in students who lived in rural areas during their childhood. In conclusion, in this study, we found that there was a significant proportion of health students who did not have protective levels of measles and mumps antibodies. This was much more evident for measles. Considering the higher risk of infection in health technician students, these vulnerable students may be recommended to receive the third dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, regardless of their vaccination history. Additionally, conducting larger-scale studies on students with definitive vaccination records may allow obtaining more detailed information about the status of protection against these diseases.