Abstract
This is the first large-scale study to investigate the seroprevalence of varicella zoster (VZV) in the general population of England and Wales. The study focused on those aged 1-20 years, that age group in whom most infections occur. Prevalence rose rapidly with age, with 53% of children showing evidence of prior infection by the age of 5 years and most young adults having experienced infection. In addition to using a fixed cut-off recommended by the manufacturer, a mixture modelling technique was also used to define the proportion of the population seropositive in each age group. This was shown to be a more accurate approach to categorizing data from an epidemiological perspective.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1129-1134 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Epidemiology and Infection |
Volume | 132 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2004 |