Varicella seroprevalance in children between 7-15 years living at Manisa

Determination of the seroprevalence of vaccine-preventable disease is important in the evaluation of immunization programs. The aim of this study was identification of the seroprevalence of varicella in primary school childrenaged 7-15 years and its risk factors influencing this.This study was carried out on 573 primary school children aged 7-15 years in Manisa province between May 2009 and May 2010. 265 of these children (46.2%) were male, 308 (53.8%) were female. A questionnaire was completed for each participant and VZV IgG antibody titers were measured quantitatively by enzime-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The seroprevalence of varicella in children aged 7-15 was detected as 61.6%Comparison of seropositivity according to sex, parents? educational status, number of people living at home and localization did not show a statistically significant difference.When studies performed in Turkey and other countries were compared cost-effectiveness studies need to be conduted for routine varicella vaccination. Moreover, incidance of Herpes Zoster should be taken into account.In conclusion, vaccination can be recommended to children at risk for Herpes Zoster infection and new studies are required to recommend routine varicella vaccination.