Tuberculosis, hepatitis B, rubella, rubeola, and varicella infection and immunity among medical school employees.

OBJECTIVE

To assess baseline health status of a medical school employee population and to assess this population's acceptance of vaccination and other interventions to reduce risk of disease transmission.

DESIGN

A retrospective review of an employee health records database for a 4-year period.

SETTING

A large, urban university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

5,007 employees screened by employee health for immunity to vaccine-preventable illnesses and tuberculosis.

RESULTS

9.4% of the employees had positive tuberculin skin tests, with a conversion rate of 6.4% for those who had negative tests within the previous 2 years. Two individuals were identified who had active pulmonary tuberculosis. Fewer than 10% of the individuals for whom isoniazid chemoprophylaxis was recommended completed the 6 months of therapy. Most clinical employees (96.1%) did not have a history of prior hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or immunization, but 77% of them subsequently completed the vaccination series. Most employees with a negative history for infection with or immunization against rubella, rubeola, and varicella had serological evidence of immunity (90.2%, 97.9%, and 87.2%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Review of aggregate employee health databases may assist individuals who must establish strategies for prevention of occupational illness and disease transmission in this specialized setting. While many employees at risk for HBV complete the vaccination series, strategies for improving this rate could be helpful. Substantial work is needed to analyze reasons why so few individuals for whom isoniazid chemoprophylaxis is recommended complete the therapy, and strategies tailored to the impediments identified should be implemented.