Measles Immunity in a Population of Healthcare Workers

Willy, Mary E.; Koziol, Deloris E.; Fleisher, Thomas A.; Koo, Sylvia; McFarland, Henry F.; Schmitt, James M.; Wesley, Robert; Hurwitz, Eugene S.; Henderson, David K.

doi:10.1086/646811

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Although the numbers were too small for statistical comparison, we found a tendency for nonimmune health care workers to be young, which may reflect the low uptake of vaccine amongst this group and low exposure to measles. This has been observed in other studies [11,17]. Seroprevalence data for this age group [12] and the current age distribution of confirmed cases of measles support these observations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prevalence of measles susceptibility among health care workers in a UK hospital. Does the UK need to introduce a measles policy for its health care workers?

Ziegler¹,

Roth²,

Wreghitt³

2003

Occupational Medicine

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The prevalence of measles non-immune health care workers is low, but with a fall in uptake of MMR immunization and increased likelihood of measles outbreaks, it is important to identify these at-risk individuals. Serum testing is the most reliable method to use. Oral fluid testing and history of measles disease or vaccination are unreliable methods of identifying non-immune individuals. To achieve complete immunity, it is cost-effective to screen and then offer immunization. NHS trusts vary greatly in their measles policies for health care workers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prevalence of measles susceptibility among health care workers in a UK hospital. Does the UK need to introduce a measles policy for its health care workers?

Ziegler¹,

Roth²,

Wreghitt³

2003

Occupational Medicine

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“…The percentage of seronegative personnel was dependent on age, with older healthcare personnel more likely to have had natural infection and, therefore, higher measles seroprevalence [17, 84, 87–89, 92, 93, 95]. Two studies from the post-elimination era conducted in 2008 and 2009 reported that among the subset of healthcare personnel without documentation of measles immunity who had serologic testing done, 9% and 11.6% lacked measles antibodies [18, 97].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Not all healthcare personnel require measles vaccine; many may have naturally acquired immunity, especially older healthcare personnel and those from countries where measles remains endemic [17, 47, 84, 87–89, 92, 93, 95]. Evidence of measles immunity is also essential for interpreting data on measles vaccine coverage among healthcare personnel.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global perspective of vaccination of healthcare personnel against measles: Systematic review

Fiebelkorn

Seward

Orenstein

2014

Vaccine

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Measles transmission has been well documented in healthcare facilities. Healthcare personnel who are unvaccinated and who lack other evidence of measles immunity put themselves and their patients at risk for measles. We conducted a systematic literature review of measles vaccination policies and their implementation in healthcare personnel, measles seroprevalence among healthcare personnel, measles transmission and disease burden in healthcare settings, and impact/costs incurred by healthcare facilities for healthcare-associated measles transmission. Five database searches yielded 135 relevant articles; 47 additional articles were found through cross-referencing. The risk of acquiring measles is estimated to be 2 to 19 times higher for susceptible healthcare personnel than for the general population. Fifty-three articles published worldwide during 1989–2013 reported measles transmission from patients to healthcare personnel; many of the healthcare personnel were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. Eighteen articles published worldwide during 1982–2013 described examples of transmission from healthcare personnel to patients or to other healthcare personnel. Half of European countries have no measles vaccine policies for healthcare personnel. There is no global policy recommendation for the vaccination of healthcare personnel against measles. Even in countries such as the United States or Finland that have national policies, the recommendations are not uniformly implemented in healthcare facilities. Measles serosusceptibility in healthcare personnel varied widely across studies (median 6.5%, range 0%-46%) but was consistently higher among younger healthcare personnel. Deficiencies in documentation of two doses of measles vaccination or other evidence of immunity among healthcare personnel presents challenges in responding to measles exposures in healthcare settings. Evaluating and containing exposures and outbreaks in healthcare settings can be disruptive and costly. Establishing policies for measles vaccination for healthcare personnel is an important strategy towards achieving measles elimination and should be a high priority for global policy setting groups, governments, and hospitals.

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“…Because most HCWs have natural or acquired immunity to these viruses, only immune personnel generally care for patients with these infections. [773][774][775][776] Although there is no evidence suggesting that masks are not adequate to protect HCWs in these settings, for purposes of consistency and simplicity, or because of difficulties in ascertaining immunity, some facilities may require the use of respirators for entry into all AIIRs, regardless of the specific infectious agent present.…”

Section: Iie Personal Protective Equipment For Health Care Workersmentioning

confidence: 99%

2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Health Care Settings

Siegel¹,

Rhinehart²,

Jackson³

et al. 2007

American Journal of Infection Control

2,701

2,604

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Measles Immunity in a Population of Healthcare Workers

Cited by 18 publications

References 25 publications

Prevalence of measles susceptibility among health care workers in a UK hospital. Does the UK need to introduce a measles policy for its health care workers?

Prevalence of measles susceptibility among health care workers in a UK hospital. Does the UK need to introduce a measles policy for its health care workers?

A global perspective of vaccination of healthcare personnel against measles: Systematic review

2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Health Care Settings

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