Varicella Seroprevalence in the U.S.: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

Abstract

Objective. We estimated the varicella seroprevalence among the U.S. population aged 6–49 years based on retested National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) specimens collected between 1999 and 2004—originally tested using a method unsuitable for detecting vaccine-induced immunity—and compared it with historical estimates. Methods. We performed a confirmatory test suitable for detecting vaccine-induced immunity on all available specimens from 6- to 19-year-olds who originally tested negative ( n=633), and on 297 randomly selected specimens that had tested positive. Retest results superseded original results for determining seroprevalence. We assessed seroprevalence for the entire sample aged 6–49 years ( n=16,050) by participant demographic characteristics and compared it with historical estimates (NHANES 1988–1994). Results. The percentage of false-negative results for the original test was higher for specimens from younger children (6–11 years of age: 27.5%; 12–19 years of age: 13.3%) and for specimens collected most recently (2001–2004: 26.0%; 1999–2000: 12.6%). The age-adjusted rate of varicella seroprevalence for 1999–2004 was 93.6% for 6- to 19-year-olds and 98.0% for adults aged 20–49 years compared with 90.0% and 98.1%, respectively, for 1988–1994. We found an increase in seropositivity between the survey periods, from 93.2% to 97.2% ( p<0.001) among 12- to 19-year-olds. For children, non-Hispanic black ethnicity and younger age were associated with lower seroprevalence in both survey periods. Conclusions. Varicella seroprevalence increased with age among children and was uniformly high in the U.S. adult population between 1999 and 2004. The original testing produced false-negative seroprevalence results among children's specimens collected between 1999 and 2004 from 6- to 19-year-olds.