Seroprevalence of measles, rubella, MUMPS and chickenpox in adult patients admitted to Düzce University Hospital

Introduction and Aim: Measles, rubella, mumps and varicella are childhood diseases. It can have a severe and complicated course when seen in adulthood; vaccination should be offered to seronegative. It was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of measles, rubella, mumps and varicella in adult patients. Material and Method: Adults who applied to Düzce University Research and Application Hospital between January 1, 2018-December 31, 2020, tested for at least one of the measles, rubella, mumps, or varicella IgG antibodies were included. In repeated applied, the first tests were included. Patients were divided into four groups as measles, rubella, mumps and varicella. Seropositivity rates, age, gender, unit and year of applied, birth place (district, province, region), being health worker or pregnant were examined. In statistical analysis, p<0.05 values were accepted significant. Results: In our study; 6187 tests were performed from 4573 patients, 1811 of whom men (39.6%), 2762 of women (60.4%), 319 of healthcare professionals (6.9%) and 97 of pregnant (2.1%). Mumps seropositivity was higher in males (p=0.001). The number of patients and seronegativity rates in the measles, rubella, mumps and varicella groups were respectively; 555 (13.2%), 4553 (4.7%), 493 (28.4%), 586 (12.5%). Also in healthcare professionals and pregnants, the highest seronegativity was observed in mumps (20.6% and 25%). In rubella, seropositivity decreased as the age group increased, and it was at the highest rate between the ages of 18-30 (p<0.001), however, seropositivity was over 90% in each age group. Varicella seronegativity was found higher in those born in the Southeastern Anatolia Region (33.3%; p=0.022), and the number of rubella seropositive patients was higher (p=0.020) in those born in the Black Sea and Marmara Region (n=2986, n=738). Rubella seropositivity rate of those born in the district was higher than those born in the province (p=0.007). Conclusion: It was observed that, our measles and varicella seropositivity rate was below 90%, mumps seropositivity was quite low. Rubella seropositivity was high, but decreased with increasing age. It was thought that serological tests should be applied to adults who were not vaccinated or had not history of disease, and that especially screening in risky groups such as healthcare professionals or before pregnancy would have a positive effect on vaccination rates. Keywords: Measles, rubella, mumps, varicella, vaccination, immunity