Abstract
Aggressive vaccination programs for medical workers are performed to prevent vocational infection in hospitals that adopt additional infection prevention measures. However, vaccination for medical workers is not adequate for other hospitals or at nursing welfare facilities. The spread of rubella that started in 2012 has increased the need for vaccination at our mixed care hospital with 161 beds. We investigated the past history and vaccination for epidemic virus infections, and measured serum antibody titer and encouraged further vaccination based on the results. The records of infection, antibody titer, and two times vaccination were confirmed by 14 of the 217 full-time employment staff, suggesting a very low rate of immunization (6.5%). The percentage by which antibody titer exceeded the standard titer measured by the EIA method was 70.5% (153 persons) for measles, 78.3% (170 persons) for rubella, 60.4% (131 persons) for mumps, and 100% (217 persons) for chickenpox. Therefore, the relationship between infection or vaccination in the past and positive antibody rate was low. Vaccination partly depends on individual payments but the overall rate was low. Successful appropriate epidemic virus infection measures must encourage vaccination based on the results of antibody titer measurements, in spite of records of infection and vaccination in the past. The expenses of vaccination should be paid by the medical facility.
