Seroprevalence of Varicella zoster virus antibody among young women before marriage in Sanandaj, Iran

Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) infection in pregnant women can cause complications for the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to assess the immunity against VZV among young women before marriage.
In this cross-sectional study 250 of women referring to health centers in Sanandaj, Iran, for pre-marital medical check-up were selected. The VZV IgG was measured by ELISA and demographic characteristics including age, place of residence, number of siblings, occupation, education and history of chickenpox were also collected. Data were analyzed using the R statistical package. To investigate the potential relationship between the variables Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used.
Out of 250 women, 178 (71.2%) were diagnosed as antibody positive and 72 (28.8%) as negative. The immunity increased with the individual’s age group (P Noticeable percentages of women were susceptible to VZV, therefore during pregnancy are at risk of infection and possibility of the fetus abnormalities. Screening the immunity and further studies on the need of vaccination before marriage is suggested.