A seroepidemiology study of varicella among children aged 0-12 years in Taiwan.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health
;
2005 Sep; 36(5): 1201-7
Article
in English
| IMSEAR
| ID: sea-31531
ABSTRACT
The epidemiology pattern of varicella appears to vary among regions with different climates, population densities, and degrees of development. This study investigated the age-specific varicella zoster virus (VZV) seroprevalence in children aged 0 to 12 years in Taiwan and compared these seroprevalences between free and private vaccination areas. Residual sera were collected from 13 hospitals with 1,401 valid samples. Immunoglobulin G antibodies to VZV were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Parents of 656 children answered questions about the varicella incidence and varicella vaccination history of their children. In the 8-12 year-olds, the seroprevance ranged between 88.0-93.8% in northern, central, and eastern, while it was only 76.1% in southern Taiwan. The seroprevalence of children 0-5 years old were significantly different between free and private vaccination areas. Seropositive children who reported no history of varicella or receiving varicella vaccine accounted for 26.1-59.3% of the total positive cases. Our findings suggest the possible effects of climate, geographical conditions, and lifestyle on the seroepidemiology of VZV in Taiwan. The efforts of implementing a varicella vaccination program in Taiwan should focus on reaching high levels of coverage.
Full text:
Available
Index:
IMSEAR (South-East Asia)
Main subject:
Taiwan
/
Humans
/
Infant, Newborn
/
Seroepidemiologic Studies
/
Chickenpox
/
Child
/
Child, Preschool
/
Incidence
/
Immunization Programs
/
Infant
Type of study:
Incidence study
/
Prognostic study
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health
Year:
2005
Type:
Article
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