{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T20:35:32Z","timestamp":1793824532516,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]],"date-time":"2023-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1675036800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The aim of this study was to analyze the seroprevalence of varicella in Italy and to evaluate the impact of varicella vaccination, which has been mandatory for newborns since 2017. The levels of VZV-specific IgG antibodies were determined by the ELISA method in residual serum samples obtained from subjects aged between 6 and 64 years and residing in 13 Italian regions. Overall, 3746 serum samples were collected in the years 2019 and 2020. The overall seroprevalence was 91.6% (89.9% in males and 93.3% in females; p = 0.0002). Seroprevalence showed an increasing trend (p &lt; 0.0001) starting in the younger age groups: 6\u20139 years: 84.1%; 10\u201314 years: 88.7%; 15\u201319 years: 89.3%; 20\u201339 years: 93.1% and &gt;40 years: 97.0%. The seroprevalence data obtained in the present study were compared with those relating to previous sero-epidemiological surveys conducted, respectively, in the years 1996\u20131997, 2003\u20132004 and 2013\u20132014, taking into consideration only data from regions monitored in all surveillance campaigns. The comparison highlighted for the period 2019\u20132020 showed significantly higher values in the age groups 6\u20139 (p &lt; 0.001), 10\u201314 (p = 0.018) and 15\u201319 years (p = 0.035), while in adults, the trend did not change over time (ns). These results highlight the positive impact of varicella vaccination in Italy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines11020306","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]],"date-time":"2023-01-30T07:56:48Z","timestamp":1675065408000},"page":"306","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["Sero-Epidemiological Study of Varicella in the Italian General Population"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7259-4923","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Gabutti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Coordinator of the Working Group \u201cVaccines and Immunization Policies\u201d, Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 16030 Cogorno, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1200-2778","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiziana","family":"Grassi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Bagordo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari \u201cAldo Moro\u201d, 70121 Bari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3404-8013","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Savio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Post-Graduate School of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9861-446X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Cristina","family":"Rota","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Italian Institute of Health (ISS), 00161 Roma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0972-4828","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paolo","family":"Castiglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7375-9187","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tatjana","family":"Baldovin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hygiene and Public Health Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, 35131 Padua, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4694-2418","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Napolitano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1876-7184","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Panico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matilde","family":"Ogliastro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7229-9919","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia Maria","family":"Trombetta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1590-9009","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Savina","family":"Ditommaso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sciences of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0108-4608","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabio","family":"Tramuto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Sero-Epidemiological Study Group","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2015). Varicella Vaccination in the European Union, ECDC."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Prevention of varicella: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)","volume":"56","author":"Marin","year":"2007","journal-title":"MMWR Recomm. Rep."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"645","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2018.1546525","article-title":"Global impact of varicella vaccination programs","volume":"15","author":"Varela","year":"2019","journal-title":"Hum. Vaccin. 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