بررسي سطح ايمني نسبت به واريسلازوستر در كاركنان بيمارستان فرشچيان شهرستان همدان

Varicella-Zoster Antibody in Health Care Workers

Background and objective: Transmission of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection poses a major occupational risk for healthcare workers (HCWs) and nosocomial risk to patients who are susceptible. The aim of the present survey was to determine the Seroprevalence of varicella antibodies in healthcare workers in Frashchian hospital of Hamedan. Materials and methods: A seroprevalence study of VZV antibodies (IgG) was conducted among a systematic sample of 188 employees in various professional groups, employed in Farshchian hospitals in Hamedan. Information about sex, age, job, and years of employment, and history of varicella was obtained. The presence of VZV antibodies was investigated with the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: A total of 250 healthcare workers (mean age, 31.97 years; S.D., 9.58) were recruited. 78 (31.2%) were male and 172 (68.8%) were female. The prevalence of VZV Seropositivity in Farshchian Hospital healthcare workers was 84.4%. Seronegativity was inversely related to age but unrelated to job category, years of employment, or gender. Conclusion: The prevalence of VZV seronegativity was high in this sample of Frashchian Hospital healthcare workers. Because of this high overall susceptibility, VZV infection seems to be an important occupational risk among healthcare workers in Hamadan .