Healthcare workers and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) status: how worried should we be about further outbreaks?

Abstract

SUMMARYRecently, a number of outbreaks of measles and mumps have occurred within the UK and Europe. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of contracting and transmitting disease to patients and staff. To examine this risk at the point of entry to healthcare, we assessed the serological results of new HCWs presenting for pre-placement clearance without evidence of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) immunity between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2012. Overall rates of serological positivity to MMR across all age groups were 88·2%, 68·8% and 93·9%, respectively. With regard to measles and mumps, there were statistically significant decreases in the percentage of HCWs born after 1980 that had positive serology (P < 0·05). No such differences were seen between healthcare groups. Most seronegative HCWs accepted MMR vaccination. Despite our entry-level findings, the ongoing risk of a MMR outbreak within this cohort of HCWs appears low.