Abstract
Rubella and measles outbreaks in adults occur because of unimmunized or partially immunized status. Travel clinics play an important role in catch-up measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella immunization for adults. We evaluated the need for catch-up measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella immunization by young adults at our travel clinic. This retrospective observational study was conducted at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine from June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018. Adults aged 16–49 years who received pre-travel consultation and had childhood immunization records were included. Individuals who fully or partially received planned measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella catch-up immunization were classified as “immunized.” We calculated the proportion of “immunized” individuals and analyzed the factors associated with catch-up measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella immunization at pre-travel consultation using logistic regression analysis. Overall, 3,456 individuals received pre-travel consultations during the study period; 827 (336 men, median age 22 years) had childhood immunization records. The most common trip purposes were study (33%) and tourism (24%). The most common destination was Asia (39%). Catch-up immunization of any measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella vaccine was needed by 755 individuals. After consultation, 20–46% of these participants who needed catchup immunization received at least one dose of immunization. Factors that are negatively associated with measles, rubella, mumps, and varicella catch-up immunization were tourism (odds ratio 0.37 to 0.58), yellow fever vaccination (0.45 to 0.50) (excluding varicella), and each disease history (0.13 to 0.40) (excluding rubella and varicella). Further studies are needed to identify barriers to catch-up immunization.
Highlights
Measles and rubella are vaccine-preventable diseases, their outbreaks, especially in adults, occur because of unimmunized or partially immunized individuals [1,2,3]
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare provided a means for males born between April 2, 1962, and April 1, 1979 to test for antibodies and to receive subsidized rubella or measles and rubella vaccines, in December 2018 [5]
We evaluated the need for and implementation of catch-up MMRV immunization by adolescents and adults aged 16–49 years at our travel clinic in Japan
Summary
Measles and rubella are vaccine-preventable diseases, their outbreaks, especially in adults, occur because of unimmunized or partially immunized individuals [1,2,3]. Two doses of combined measles and rubella vaccine have been administered to children at a relatively high. Vaccination rate, as shown in the history of the National Immunization Program in Japan (Fig 1). Japanese adult men were not immunized with two doses of measles vaccine and rubella vaccination in the national program. The government carried out a catch-up immunization program for junior high school-aged boys and girls from 1995 to 2003 [4] for two different measles and rubella immunization doses. Catch-up immunization of measles and rubella combined vaccine for 13- and 18-year-old individuals were done between 2008 and 2012. In the first six months of the program, only 16% of the target population received the antibody test [6]
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