Seroprevalence of Measles, Rubella, Mumps and Varicella Specific Antibodies in Primary School Children

Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella are diseases that are tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as common and serious vaccine-preventable diseases. Aim of the Work: To evaluate the immune status and susceptibility against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in primary school children and to study the effects of some sociodemographic factors on the seroprevalence. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 180 children. All children included in this study were subjected to thorough history taking and laboratory investigations; to measure serum levels of specific measles, rubella, mumps and varicella immunoglobulins (IgG) Results: (88.9%) of the surveyed children were seropositive to measles, (77.8%) to mumps, (86.7%) to rubella and (38.9%) to varicella. Seropositivity was higher in males than in females for measles (57.7%), mumps (60.7%), rubella (62.2%) and varicella (68.6%) with significant difference for measles. Younger age groups were less seropositive than older age groups for measles (32.5% vs 35%), mumps (34.4 % vs 37.9%), rubella (30.8 % vs 39.7 %) and for varicella (21.4%) vs 48.6%). The highest level of seronegativity was seen with regard to varicella specific antibodies (61.1%). Conclusion and recommendations: There is an urgent need for a planned program with different strategies to prevent and control these diseases.