Identifying At-Risk Population for Varicella Zoster and Rubella Virus Infection Among Healthcare Workers Providing Care to Antenatal Women and Newborns: A Serosurvey from a Resource Constrained Setting

A study was conducted to assess seroprevalence against varicella zoster virus(VZV) and rubella virus among health care workers providing care to antenatal patients and newborn babies. A cross-sectional study enrolled healthcare workers(HCWs) working in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, collecting sociodemographic details along with a request for 3 mL blood samples. Serum titers of IgG antibodies against VZV and rubella were measured by ELISA(Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Two-hundred HCW participants were enrolled in the study. The average age of the study participants was 31.25 ± 8 years. Among 200 HCW participants 163(81.5%) were positive, 28(14%) negative, and 01(0.5%) participant had a borderline status for VZV. Similarly, 179(89.5%) were positive, 19(9.5%) negative, and 02(1%) participants were of borderline status for Rubella. Study observed a statistically significant impact of past active VZV infection, as indicated by 92.1% antibody positivity among HCWs(<i>p</i> = 0.000012). However, serological status against VZV and rubella were not observed to be associated with age(<i>p</i> = 0.18 and 0.28), gender(<i>p</i> = 0.75 & 0.28), profession type(<i>p</i> = 0.39 and 0.74), professional experience in years(<i>p</i> = 0.43 and 0.9), marital status(<i>p</i> = 0.09 and 0.6), parity(<i>p</i> = 0.25 and 0.9), vaccination in the past(<i>p</i> = 0.12), awareness about Infection during pregnancy(0.5 and 0.57) respectively. Present study offered free vaccination to seronegative healthcare workers(HCWs) and also collected information on the reasons for their refusal to get vaccinated. Pre-employment vaccination and infection history are essential to prevent complications for oneself and to contain the spread of VZV and rubella infections in hospitals that provide care to pregnant women and their newborns.