Seroprevalence of measles-specific antibodies in the group predominantly affected by measles in 2006-2009 in Poland.

Introduction: Irrespective of the high vaccination coverage against measles, sporadic measles outbreaks still occur in Poland. In 2006-2009, a slight increase in the number of measles cases was observed. Of these cases, people born in 1976-198 9 were predominantly affected.

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the immunity to measles in the aforesaid age group.

Material And Methods: The serum samples were selected from the serum bank in which material collected from the general population living in 5 provinces in Poland is stored. These samples were collected from patients hospitalized due to emergencies in 2010-2011. The antibody titre against measles was determined in each serum sample by ELISA test (Genzyme Virotech). Linear regression models using log-transformed antibody titres were used to compare the values.

Results: The serum samples collected from 483 persons, including 111 females and 372 males were tested. All patients had antibody titres exceeding 0.5 IU/ml. The antibody titre was statistically significantly associated with the vaccination coverage in each age group in particular province.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest good immunity to measles in the general population in Poland. The disparities between randomly selected provinces demonstrated a relation with the coverage rates as well as the differences in measles incidence which is observed recently between these provinces.