Measles seroprevalence and associated factors in adults in Şanliurfa city center

Objective: It is aimed to determine measles seroprevalence in adult individuals in Şanlıurfa city center and to evaluate related factors. Method: The research is of cross-sectional type. The research was carried out in Family Health Centers (FHC) in Şanlıurfa city center between March 2023 and April 2023. The population of the study consisted of individuals over the age of 18 who applied to the Family Health Centers (FHC) in the city center of Şanlıurfa. 30 cluster sampling method was used to determine the FHCs where the study would be conducted. In this study, the number of people to be included in each cluster was determined as 7 and the total sample size was 210. 30 FHCs were randomly selected from a total of 80 FHCs in urban and rural settlements in 3 central districts in Şanlurfa, proportional to the number of units. Each selected ASM represents a separate cluster. Sociodemographic Characteristics Information Form was used during data collection. Afterwards, blood was taken from the participants by the researcher and serum samples taken every day were kept in a private hospital in accordance with cold chain conditions. Serum samples were then sent by the private hospital to a private laboratory for testing. The presence of specific IgG measles antibodies in serum samples was determined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay. Results: 210 adults were included in the study. 51% of the participants are women. The median age of the individuals participating in the research is 33.5 years, and the median number of children they have is 4. The median number of people per household is 5, and the median number of people per room is 2. 36.7% of the participants reside in Haliliye, 23.3% in Karaköprü and 40.0% in Eyyübiye. 47.6% of the individuals participating in the research are at primary school or below. 59.0% of the participants do not work in any job and 77.6% are in the lower social class. The income level of 40.4% of the participants is insufficient or very insufficient, and 38.1% of them are at medium level. 25.2% of the participants do not have any social security. 86.2% of the participants are married and 78.1% have children. 76.7% of the participants have a nuclear family and 22.9% have an extended structure. 17.6% of the individuals included in the study work as seasonal agricultural workers. The X measles seropositivity of the adults participating in the study was 87.6%, and the measles seronegativity was 8.6%. Measles IgG antibody level was at the borderline level in 3.8% of the participants. When the measles seropositivity level of the participants is examined according to the age groups of 5, it was determined that the measles seropositivity level was at the lowest level in the age group of 18-25 and was 67.35%. It was found to be 52.63. In the created logistic regression model, measles seropositivity status in adults; Being 33 years or younger reduces it 10 times. Conclusion: This study showed that measles seropositivity in the adult population in Şanlıurfa city center was 87.6%. Although this level is a level that can prevent the possibility of an epidemic, it is insufficient to reach the measles elimination targets. This suggests that it may be necessary to re-evaluate the administration of extra-dose measles vaccine with the catch-up vaccination method to individuals aged 18-21, which was the most susceptible age group in our study, and then 22-25 years of age in our study. In our country, where the elimination of measles is targeted, the entire society should be adequately informed about measles. This is also important in terms of preventing epidemics. Keywords: Measles, seroprevalence, immunization. vaccination, adult