Introduction: Little is known about the sero-prevalence of anti-VZV antibodies among adolescents in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka although adulthood VZV infections are very common in this part of the country. Design: Socio-demographic data and blood samples were collected between November 2004 and April 2005 from a total of 271, 12 to 19 year old school students from urban, rural and estate communities. Sera were tested for anti-VZV IgG antibodies using a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Sero-prevalence of anti-VZV antibodies among these adolescents was found to be 34%. Number of siblings (39% of adolescents with more than 2 siblings and 27% of those with 2 siblings were immune, while those without siblings were non-immune) and areas of residence (urban, estate and rural) were statistically associated with the presence of anti-VZV IgG antibodies. School children who lived in the urban and estate sectors had significantly higher anti-VZV IgG prevalence rates than those who lived in rural areas (p<0.001). Conclusions: Sero-prevalence of anti-VZV IgG antibodies was low among adolescents in the Kandy district. Adolescents who lived in the urban areas had a significantly higher rate of anti-VZV IgG antibodies than those who lived in rural areas (p<0.001). Adolescents who grow up without siblings are at risk of evading the childhood VZV infection and form a potential target group for adulthood chickenpox.
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