Comparison of the Seroprevalence of Measles Antibodies among Healthcare Workers in Two Korean Hospitals in 2019

Yee Gyung Kwak; Je Eun Song; Gang Bok Oh; In Hye Jeong; Chong Rae Cho; Namhee Kim; Hyeon Mi Yoo; Gyeong Min Yoo; Myung Jin Lee; Baek Nam Kim

doi:10.3947/ic.2020.52.1.93

Comparison of the Seroprevalence of Measles Antibodies among Healthcare Workers in Two Korean Hospitals in 2019

Infect Chemother. 2020 Mar;52(1):93-97. doi: 10.3947/ic.2020.52.1.93. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Authors

Yee Gyung Kwak¹, Je Eun Song¹, Gang Bok Oh², In Hye Jeong², Chong Rae Cho³, Namhee Kim⁴, Hyeon Mi Yoo⁵, Gyeong Min Yoo⁵, Myung Jin Lee⁶, Baek Nam Kim⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
² Infection Control Office, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
³ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
⁵ Infection Control Office, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea. kimbn@paik.ac.kr.

Abstract

We performed a point seroprevalence survey of measles among healthcare workers (HCWs) at two Korean teaching hospitals in 2019. A total of 2,830 HCWs underwent an antibody test. The overall seropositivity of measles was 93.1%. The seroprevalence of measles was lowest in HCWs aged 20 - 24 years (81.2%), followed by those aged 25 - 29 years (90.1%). The rates of anti-measles IgG positivity were significantly different between the two hospitals (97.0% vs. 89.4%, P <0.001). These results suggest that the seropositivity of measles in HCWs may differ depending on the hospital's vaccination policy.

Keywords: Healthcare workers; Measles; Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine; Seroprevalence.