Immunity gaps for several vaccine preventable diseases in Norway

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Public Health
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Childhood immunisation programs (CIP) have reduced vaccine-preventable diseases, but disease incidence doesn't fully reflect individual immunity.
• Assessing IgG antibody levels is crucial for understanding population-level immune status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the immune status against seven vaccine-preventable diseases in the Norwegian population.
• To identify age groups with potentially inadequate immunity, informing vaccination strategies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of residual sera from 3051 Norwegians aged 2-95 years, collected in 2012.
• Measurement of IgG antibody levels against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Main Results:

• Significant percentages of older adults (≥60 years) and children showed low IgG levels for diphtheria and tetanus.
• A high proportion of children (76.4%) and teenagers (53.3%) had low IgG against pertussis toxin.
• Adequate IgG levels were found for measles and rubella across all age groups; mumps immunity was near a protective threshold.

Conclusions:

• Low IgG levels against diphtheria and tetanus are prevalent in both children and the elderly in Norway.
• Findings support rescheduling the DTP booster and incorporating DTP vaccines into adult immunization programs.