Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Chickenpox epidemic and vaccination in Eastern Sicily: an epidemiologic study on seroconversion

ABSTRACT: — Objective: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Chickenpox are diffusive airborne viral infections. Especially measles can present high morbidity and mortality in the absence of adequate immunization. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological trend of the reported cases and relative vaccination coverage of Measles, Rubella, Mumps and Varicella in the northern-eastern Sicilian. — Materials and Methods: We conducted an epidemiological survey evaluating the trend of all the measles, rubella, mumps and varicella notifications reported in the entire territory of Messina province from 1997 to 2018. We also evaluated the MMRV vaccination coverage from 2007 to 2018. — Results: The recent 2017-2018 measles epidemic deserves a special mention. In particular, Sicily notified 425 (8.5%) in 2017 and 1,118 (44.2%) of the cases of the entire national territory with an incidence in the two years of 242 and 222 cases per million inhabitants, respectively. The trend of notifications related to mumps peaked in 1999, with 59 cases reported, followed by a major epidemic outbreak in 2000 with 163 cases, and a general decrease in subsequent years. The trend of the rubella notifications concerned four major outbreaks in the years 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008 in which they were notified 118, 65, 38 and 122 cases, respectively. Chickenpox was the most notified disease with a very high number of cases throughout the considered twenty years. In particular, large outbreaks occurred in the period 1999-2007. — Conclusions: These results are the expression of an attitude of a certain part of parents that do not respect the suggested calendar delaying the administration of the first dose and avoiding the administration of the second dose to complete the recommended vaccine schedule. In order to improve the situation, parents should always be formed about the importance of vaccinate in the correct way their children and advised to administer the four vaccinations in a single session