Introduction: The national and international guidelines recommend evaluating all healthcare workers (HCWs) for their measles immune status and possibly vaccinating those who are seronegative.
Areas covered: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to estimate the rate of measles susceptibility among HCWs in Italy and to explore possible options for the management of those found to be susceptible. Twenty-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of HCWs susceptible to measles was 11.5% (95%CI = 8.1-15.4%) and was higher in studies in which prevalence was evaluated by survey (16.7%; 95%CI = 8.9-26.3) than by the direct evaluation of blood specimens (9.1%; 95%CI = 6.2-12.5%). Occupational medicine examinations for measles screening with possible subsequent vaccination of seronegatives and the exclusion of susceptible HCWs from high-risk settings were common management strategies.
Expert opinion: HCWs susceptible to measles are an important epidemiological concern in Italy, and efforts to identify and actively offer the vaccine to this population should be increased.
Keywords: Healthcare workers; MMR vaccine; management of susceptible; measles; nosocomial infection.