Loading...
Outbreaks of measles and mumps have occurred in the U.S. and Canada, despite effective childhood vaccination programs. Some of the outbreaks have been attributed to strains prevalent in other countries and to unvaccinated populations, including immigrants. Now, investigators have conducted a seroprevalence study to determine refugees’ and immigrants’ levels of susceptibility to such diseases. The study was partially funded by industry.
From October 2002 through December 2004, the researchers measured serologic immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella in individuals seeking healthcare who had been in Canada <5 years and who had not received MMR vaccine or developed any of these diseases after arriving in the country. The 1480 participants repr…