{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T23:18:47Z","timestamp":1792711127268,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,30]],"date-time":"2016-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1467244800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany has increased rapidly since 2014 and cases of vaccine-preventable diseases at reception centres were reported. Asylum seekers 12 years and older arriving in Lower Saxony were serologically screened for antibodies against measles, rubella and varicella between November 2014 and October 2015. We calculated the seroprevalence from the screening data by disease, country of origin and age group and compared them to literature-based herd immunity thresholds in order to identify immunisation gaps. In total, 23,647 specimens were included in our study. Although the vast majority of asylum seekers tested positive for antibodies against measles, rubella and varicella, the seroprevalences were not sufficient to ensure herd immunity. The seroprevalences varied substantially between countries of origin and increased with age. Immunisation of asylum seekers against measles, rubella and varicella is needed and the detailed information on seroprevalences among subgroups of asylum seekers can be used for targeted immunisations at reception centres.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph13070650","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,30]],"date-time":"2016-06-30T14:24:28Z","timestamp":1467296668000},"page":"650","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Seroprevalence of Antibodies against Measles, Rubella and Varicella among Asylum Seekers Arriving in Lower Saxony, Germany, November 2014\u2013October 2015"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Salla","family":"Toikkanen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (Nieders\u00e4chsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NLGA), Roesebeckstra\u00dfe 4-6, Hanover 30449, Germany"},{"name":"European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Tomtebodav\u00e4gen 11a, Stockholm 17183, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Armin","family":"Baillot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (Nieders\u00e4chsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NLGA), Roesebeckstra\u00dfe 4-6, Hanover 30449, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Johannes","family":"Dreesman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (Nieders\u00e4chsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NLGA), Roesebeckstra\u00dfe 4-6, Hanover 30449, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elke","family":"Mertens","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Governmental Institute of Public Health of Lower Saxony (Nieders\u00e4chsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NLGA), Roesebeckstra\u00dfe 4-6, Hanover 30449, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) Asylgesch\u00e4ftsstatistik f\u00fcr den Monat Dezember 2015 (Official Statistics on Asylum Seekers in December 2015). Available online: http:\/\/www.bamf.de\/SharedDocs\/Anlagen\/DE\/Downloads\/Infothek\/Statistik\/Asyl\/201512-statistik-anlage-asyl-geschaeftsbericht.pdf?__blob=publicationFile."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) Mehr Asylantr\u00e4ge in Deutschland als Jemals Zuvor (More Applications for Asylum in Germany than ever before). Available online: http:\/\/www.bmi.bund.de\/SharedDocs\/Pressemitteilungen\/DE\/2016\/01\/asylantraege-dezember-2015.htm."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"K\u00fchne, A., and Gilsdorf, A. (2015, January 23\u201325). Ausbr\u00fcche von meldepflichtigen Infektionskrankheiten in Gemeinschaftsunterk\u00fcnften von Asylbewerbern in Deutschland 2001\u20132003. Proceedings of the 65 Wissenschaftliche Kongress des BV\u00d6GD, Rostock, Germany.","DOI":"10.1055\/s-0035-1546893"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) (2015). Berliner Masernausbruch 2014\/2015. 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Infect."}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/13\/7\/650\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T19:25:08Z","timestamp":1760210708000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/13\/7\/650"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,30]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,7]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph13070650"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph13070650","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,6,30]]}}}