| Abstract |
Introduction: All medical students belong in a group of high-risk for many infectious diseases, because of being exposed to them mainly during their education in clinical practice. This risk is even greater than that of health-care personnel, for two main reasons. Firstly, students have a lower level of education and compliance with basic hygiene rules, and secondly lower level of experience which predisposes them to an increased probability of exposure. Hence, adequate vaccination coverage is crucial in order to protect themselves, their families, vulnerable patients, and furthermore to avoid epidemics in health-care facilities.
Additionally, they are going to become doctors, so it is important that they have an evidence-based opinion on vaccinations, so as to advise and correctly vaccinate their future patients.
The aim of the present study is to record the vaccination status of the medical students in University of Crete and to estimate the percentages of susceptibility to each vaccine-preventable disease, respectively. Materials & Methods: 574 medical students participated in this study of a total number of 869 who are registered in the official records, during July 2018 to May 2019. The documentation of their vaccination coverage was based solely on their vaccination booklets. At the same time, basic demographic data were recorded (gender, age, year of study in medical school), while also they were interviewed for having natural immunity to Varicella (chickenpox).
Results: A percentage of 99.7% of the students were adequately vaccinated for diphtheria, 60.5% for tetanus, 45.3% for pertussis, 99.2% for poliomyelitis, 90.4% for Hib, 97% for Hepatitis B, 60% for Hepatitis A, 11.8% with PCV, 7% with PPSV23, 81.7% with MCC, 11% for Men(A+C) and 31.9% for MCV4, 2% for MenB, 94.8% for MMR, 17.4% for Varicella (85% were immune including those with natural immunity after disease), 70.9% with BCG, 48.2% of the female students for HPV, 0% with Rota, and 1.6% with Influenza vaccine during the current influenza season 2018-19.
Conclusion: Vaccination coverage of medical students in University of Crete varies, with the lowest percentages being found in the Influenza and Meningococcal type B vaccines, while the highest percentages in Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis and Hepatitis B vaccines.
Comparing medical students attending different semesters in the University, it is observed that first year students are better vaccinated as far as the majority of vaccines is concerned (Te, Per, HepA, PCV, MCV4, Var), while senior year students as far as Men(A+C) is concerned as well as the percentages of immunity to Varicella acquired after natural disease.
Their vaccination coverage is greatly higher comparing with the one that has been recorded in various studies regarding health-care workers in our country, with the only exception of the influenza vaccine. In the contrary, though, when compared to similar studies in students of health-care professions, both on a local and global level, such differences are less and vary.
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Εμβολιαστική Κάλυψη Φοιτητών Ιατρικής Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης
