Measles Seroprevalence and Associated Factors among Adult Individuals in the City Center of Þanlýurfa Province

Objectives: The aim is to determine measles seroprevalence in adult individuals in Þanlýurfa city center and to evaluate related factors.
Methods: The research is of a cross-sectional type. The research was carried out in Þanlýurfa city center between March 2023 and April 2023. The population of the study consisted of individuals over the age of 18 who applied to the Family Health Centers (FHC) in the city center of Þanlýurfa. A 30-cluster sampling method was used to determine the FHCs where the study would be conducted. In this study, the number of people to be included in each cluster was determined as 7, and the total sample size was 210. Thirty FHCs were randomly selected from a total of 80 ASMs in 3 central districts in Þanlýurfa, proportional to the number of units. Blood was drawn from the participants by the researcher. The blood samples were then sent by a private hospital to a private laboratory for testing.
Results: A total of 210 adults were included in the study. Fifty-one percent of the participants were women. The measles seropositivity rate of the adults participating in the study was 87.6%, and the measles seronegativity rate was 8.6%. When the participants were examined according to age groups, it was found that the measles seropositivity level was lowest in the 18-21 age group, at 52.63%. In the created logistic regression model, measles seropositivity status in adults: being 33 years or younger reduces it 10 times.
Conclusion: This study showed that measles seropositivity in the adult population in Þanlýurfa city center was 87.6%. This suggests the need to reconsider the administration of an extra-dose measles vaccine using the catch-up vaccination method for individuals aged 18-21 and then 22-25, the most susceptible age group in this study.

Keywords: Adult, immunization, measles, seroprevalence, vaccination