Lack of protection for measles among Italian nurses. A potential for hospital outbreak

Abstract

Background and aims. Nurse’s job involves staying close to the patient for an extended
time period and a high risk of transmission for airborne pathogens, including measles.
Previous studies found high rate of operators unprotected for measles. We evaluated the
immunization status for measles in nurses of a large hospital in Rome.
Methods. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical records of nurses working in Tor Vergata
hospital who underwent the occupational health screening program. Gender, age,
work area and levels measles-specific IgG were evaluated.
Results. This study included 358 nurses. 77.7% (217) had a protective measles-specific
IgG antibodies level. Protection rate was higher among workers aging 40 years (82.6% vs
68.7%; p < 0.01). The mean value of the anti-measles IgG was 217.2 ± 91.1 AU/ml. Males
showed higher values than females (253.3 vs 214.6; p < 0.01).
Conclusions. Our study revealed a non-protective anti measles IgG level in a high percentage
of nurses, even among those working in high risk areas.