e-Article
SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among pediatric health care personnel after the first peak of the pandemic: nationwide surveillance in Turkey
Document Type
article
Author
Pembe Derin Oygar; Ayşe Büyükçam; Zümrüt Şahbudak Bal; Nazan Dalgıç; Şefika Elmas Bozdemir; Adem Karbuz; Benhur Şirvan Çetin; Yalçın Kara; Ceren Çetin; Nevin Hatipoğlu; Hatice Uygun; Fatma Deniz Aygün; Selda Hançerli Törün; Dicle Şener Okur; Dilek Yılmaz Çiftdoğan; Tuğçe Tural Kara; Aysun Yahşi; Arife Özer; Sevliya Öcal Demir; Gülşen Akkoç; Cansu Turan; Enes Salı; Semra Şen; Emine Hafize Erdeniz; Soner Sertan Kara; Melike Emiroğlu; Tuğba Erat; Hacer Aktürk; Sibel Laçinel Gürlevik; Murat Sütçü; Zeynep Gökçe Gayretli Aydın; Başak Yıldız Atikan; Edanur Yeşil; Gizem Güner; Emel Çelebi; Kadir Efe; Didem Kızmaz İşançlı; Habibe Selver Durmuş; Seher Tekeli; Ayşe Karaaslan; Lida Bülbül; Habip Almış; Özge Kaba; Yıldız Ekemen Keleş; Bahadır Yazıcıoğlu; Şerife Bahtiyar Oğuz; Hüsnü Fahri Ovalı; Hazal Helin Doğan; Solmaz Çelebi; Deniz Çakır; Burcugül Karasulu; Gülsüm Alkan; İrem Yenidoğan; Doruk Gül; Burcu Parıltan Küçükalioğlu; Gülhadiye Avcu; Musa Gürel Kukul; Melis Bilen; Belma Yaşar; Tuğba Üstün; Ömer Kılıç; Yasemin Akın; Sinem Oral Cebeci; Ibrahim Hakan Bucak; Mehpare Sarı Yanartaş; Aslıhan Şahin; Sertaç Arslanoğlu; Murat Elevli; Rabia Çoban; Şadiye Kübra Tüter Öz; Halil Hatipoğlu; İlyas Tolga Erkum; Mehmet Turgut; Asuman Demirbuğa; Taha Özçelik; Diclehan Çiftçi; Emine Ergül Sarı; Gökhan Akkuş; Sadık Sami Hatipoğlu; Ener Çağrı Dinleyici; Mustafa Hacımustafaoğlu; Ferda Özkınay; Zafer Kurugöl; Ali Bülent Cengiz; Ayper Somer; Hasan Tezer; Ateş Kara
Source
International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol 113, Iss , Pp 184-189 (2021)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
1201-9712
Abstract
Background: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among health care personnel is important to explore risk factors for transmission, develop elimination strategies and form a view on the necessity and frequency of surveillance in the future. Methods: We enrolled 4927 health care personnel working in pediatric units at 32 hospitals from 7 different regions of Turkey in a study to determine SARS Co-V-2 seroprevalence after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point of care serologic lateral flow rapid test kit for immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG was used. Seroprevalence and its association with demographic characteristics and possible risk factors were analyzed. Results: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prevalence in health care personnel tested was 6.1%. Seropositivity was more common among those who did not universally wear protective masks (10.6% vs 6.1%). Having a COVID-19-positive co-worker increased the likelihood of infection. The least and the most experienced personnel were more likely to be infected. Most of the seropositive health care personnel (68.0%) did not suspect that they had previously had COVID-19. Conclusions: Health surveillance for health care personnel involving routine point-of-care nucleic acid testing and monitoring personal protective equipment adherence are suggested as important strategies to protect health care personnel from COVID-19 and reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission.