Serological Survey of Mumps Immunity Among Healthcare Workers in Connecticut, December 2006–May 2007

Details

• Personal Author:
  Khan Y ; Mohammad A ; Trape M ; Khan Y ; Mohammad A ; Trape M
• Description:
  To the Editor -- Mumps is a highly contagious acute viral disease transmitted by oral and respiratory secretions. In unvaccinated persons, unilateral or bilateral parotitis occurs in approximately half of patients. The incubation period of the virus is 16-18 days. Although mumps is usually self limited, adults are more likely than children to develop severe symptoms and complications, such as orchitis, aseptic meningitis, and meningoencephalitis. The 2006-2007 mumps epidemic in the United States involved 6,584 cases of mumps in different midwestem states. Of patients who had a known vaccination status for measles, mumps, and rubella (hereafter collectively referred to as MMR) and who lived in 8 highly affected Midwestern states, 63% had received 2 doses, 25% had received 1 dose, and 13% had received no vaccine. The national incidence of mumps during this resurgence was 2.2 cases per 100,000 people, with the highest incidence among people 18-24 years of age. In the United States, the Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps vaccine, currently in use, was introduced in 1967. The combination vaccine for MMR was licensed in 1971 but routinely administered only after 1977. The incidence of mumps began to decline after 1977, when all 1-year-olds were vaccinated. The recommendation for 2 inoculations of the mumps vaccine for children entering school was instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the 1990s. As a result, after 1989, the incidence of mumps decreased further. In 1994, the requirement for entering the public school system was 1 dose of MMR vaccine. In 2001, 2 doses of MMR vaccine became a mandatory requirement. From 2001 through 2003, fewer than 300 cases of mumps were reported in the United States, a decline of more than 99% from the 185,691 cases in 1968. Reports of transmission of mumps in healthcare settings are rare; however, during community outbreaks, exposure of unprotected healthcare workers (HCWs) to mumps is common, both in hospital and community settings. In June 2007, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved the adult immunization schedule for October 2007 to September 2008. This update tightened requirements for "presumptive evidence of immunity" to mean 2 doses of MMR vaccine, or serologic evidence, or physician-documented mumps infection. Although there were, at the time, no reported cases of mumps in the state of Connecticut, we assessed the baseline mumps serology status of all HCWs who joined the University of Connecticut Health Center, during preplacement evaluation. Our goals were to immunize susceptible HCWs to prevent risk of future mumps transmission, to document the proportion of HCWs who were seronegative for mumps when they joined our institution, and to guide the development of our institution's protection against mumps. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Health Personnel Occupational Health Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Health Care Workers Immunizations Serology Vaccines Viral Diseases Viral Infections
• ISSN:
  0899-823X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  202-203
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058246
• Citation:
  Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2009 Feb; 30(2):202-203
• Contact Point Address:
  Amir Mohammad, MD, MPH, Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 135 College Street, Room 396, New Haven, CT 06510
• Email:
  amir.mohammad@yale.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Performing Organization:
  Yale University School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d7652d2a23f9fe1b065d8e410cbe9317b4180994e710a2afcfc3f2baecbfcd060971331a499daae5141f3e4e52bc07eef99228173808523920cd6257932da215
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221376/cdc_221376_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 232.93 KB ]