INTRODUCTION: Measles is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease. The main strategy for the prevention and control of highly contagious viral infections that pose epidemic risk is vaccine prophylaxis. Mass immunization with two doses of vaccine has achieved a sustained reduction in measles incidence.
AIM: This report presents the results from a survey of 120 healthy individuals that was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of specific anti-measles IgG antibodies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples of 120 candidates for military service (87 men and 33 women) with a median of age of 21 years (18–42 years; birth cohorts 1981–2006) were tested at the Laboratory of Virology, Military Medical Academy (Sofia) in April 2022. Quantitative analysis of anti-measles IgG (AU/mL) was performed via chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) on a DiaSorin Liaison® automated analyzer. Samples with values ≥ 16.5 AU/mL were scored as positive.
RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of anti-measles IgG in the study population was 86.7%. Тhere was no statistically significant difference between the sexes (87.2% in males vs. 85.3% in females, p = 0.772). In 76 males and 28 females, the levels of anti-measles IgG ranged from 16.5 to > 300 AU/mL. The seronegative individuals were 12.8% and 14.7% among men and women, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that there were susceptible individuals among the candidates for military service of both sexes. The susceptible individuals had no detectable levels of protective anti-measles IgG. Successful epidemiological surveillance of measles is directly dependent on high vaccine coverage. Efficient herd immunity can be obtained when the vaccine coverage exceeds 95%.
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