Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Original article

Vol. 146 No. 3536 (2016)

Varicella seroprevalence in individuals with a negative or unknown varicella history – results from a large travel clinic in Switzerland between 2008 and 2015

  • Michael Freuler
  • Susan De Crom
  • Christoph Hatz
  • Silja Bühler
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2016.14342
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2016;146:w14342
Published
28.08.2016

Summary

QUESTION UNDER STUDY: In Switzerland, vaccination against varicella is not recommended in the basic immunisation schedule. However, for individuals aged 11–40 years who do not have a reliable varicella history the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health recommends either (i) a vaccination or (ii) a serology test and vaccination of those with a negative result. In the Travel Clinic of the University of Zurich, the second strategy is followed. In this study we retrospectively assessed the overall percentage of individuals with varicella-specific antibodies despite a negative history and we examined the influence of age, number of siblings, order of siblings, age difference to siblings and nationality on varicella seropositivity.

METHODS: Between December 2008 and August 2015, the sera of 1757 individuals with a negative varicella history were tested for varicella antibodies.

RESULTS: A total of 1593 individuals (91%) had a positive result. We found an increasing trend for varicella seropositivity with increasing age. Those aged less than 40 years were significantly more often seronegative (9.5%) than those aged 40 years and above (6.0%, p = 0.049). Seropositivity was associated with nationality. The percentage of seropositives increased with the number of siblings.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that, despite the significant varicella seropositivity differences between those aged below and above, the age of 40 may not be an ideal threshold for performing a varicella serology in individuals with a negative or unknown varicella history. In the age groups above 40, testing for varicella antibodies may be especially reasonable in individuals with no or a small number of siblings and in those of specific nationalities.

References

  1. Aebi C, Fischer K, Gorgievski M, Matter L, Mühlemann K. Age-specific seroprevalence to varicella-zoster virus: study in Swiss children and analysis of European data. Vaccine. 2001;19(23-24):3097–103.
  2. Heininger U, Braun-Fahrländer C, Desgrandchamps D, Glaus J, Grize L, Wutzler P, et al. Seroprevalence of varicella-zoster virus immunoglobulin G antibodies in Swiss adolescents and risk factor analysis for seronegativity. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2001;20(8):775–8.
  3. Baer G, Bonhoeffer J, Schaad UB, Heininger U. Seroprevalence and immunization history of selected vaccine preventable diseases in medical students. Vaccine. 2005;23(16):2016–20.
  4. Loutan L, Maitre B, Zuber P. [Are medical students sufficiently vaccinated? Results of a serological survey and of vaccine coverage.] Sozial- und Präventivmedizin. 1994;39(2):86–92. French.
  5. Heininger U, Baer G, Bonhoeffer J, Schaad UB. Reliability of varicella history in children and adolescents. Swiss Med Wkly. 2005;135(17–18):252–5.
  6. Thiry N, Beutels P, Shkedy Z, Vranckx R, Vandermeulen C, Wielen M Van Der, et al. The seroepidemiology of primary varicella-zoster virus infection in Flanders (Belgium). Eur J Pediatr. 2002;161(11):588–93.
  7. Vyse AJ, Gay NJ, Hesketh LM, Morgan-Capner P, Miller E. Seroprevalence of antibody to varicella zoster virus in England and Wales in children and young adults. Epidemiol Infect. 2004;132(6):1129–34.
  8. Salleras L, Domínguez A, Vidal J, Plans P, Salleras M, Taberner JL. Seroepidemiology of varicella-zoster virus infection in Catalonia (Spain). Rationale for universal vaccination programmes. Vaccine. 2000;19(2-3):183–8.
  9. Fatha N, Ang LW, Goh KT. Changing seroprevalence of varicella zoster virus infection in a tropical city state, Singapore. Int J Infect Dis. 2014;22:73–7.
  10. Nichols RA, Averbeck KT, Poulsen AG, al Bassam MM, Cabral F, Aaby P, et al. Household size is critical to varicella-zoster virus transmission in the tropics despite lower viral infectivity. Epidemics. 2011;3(1):12–8.
  11. Choo PW, Donahue JG, Manson JE, Platt R. The epidemiology of varicella and its complications. J Infect Dis. 1995;172(3):706–12.
  12. Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG). Varizellenimpfung [Internet]. 2004 [cited 2015 Sep 28]. Available from: http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/medizin/00682/00684/02535/index.html?lang=de
  13. Jerant AF, DeGaetano JS, Epperly TD, Hannapel AC, Miller DR, Lloyd AJ. Varicella susceptibility and vaccination strategies in young adults. J Am Board Fam Pract. 1998;11(4):296–306.
  14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015 Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth Through 6 Years Old [Internet]. 2015. [cited 2015 Dec 18]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
  15. Ständige Impfkommission (STIKO). Impfkalender [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2015 Dec 16]. Available from: http://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Impfen/Materialien/Downloads-Impfkalender/Impfkalender_Deutsch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
  16. Ooi PL, Goh KT, Doraisingham S, Ling AE. Prevalence of varicella-zoster virus infection in Singapore. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 1992;23(1):22–5.
  17. Srichomkwun P, Apisarnthanarak A, Thongphubeth K, Yuekyen C, Mundy LM. Evidence of vaccine protection among thai medical students and implications for occupational health. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2009;30(6):585–8.
  18. L’Huillier AG, Ferry T, Courvoisier DS, Aebi C, Cheseaux J-J, Kind C, et al. Impaired antibody memory to varicella zoster virus in HIV-infected children: low antibody levels and avidity*. HIV Med. 2012;13(1):54–61.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>