The impact of ten years of XXXX universal Varicella vaccination in Sicily, Italy (2003-2012).

@entity1 @entity992
Introduction Universal @entity992 vaccination in Sicily was introduced in @entity1 population since 2003, with a rapidly increasing coverage. Aim of the present study was to analyze changes in the epidemiology of @entity992 since the introduction of universal vaccination. Methods The study was performed by analyzing Sicilian administrative/clinical data on @entity992 case notifications and hospitalizations from 2003 to 2012 (ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis codes 052 and 052.*). MMR+V and V coverage were also calculated for each birth cohort. Moreover, blood samples drawn in 2013/2014 from general population stratified by age were tested for @entity992 antibodies. Results From 2003 to 2012, 15   433 @entity992 cases were notified with a decreasing temporal trend (1.1/1000 population in 2003 to 0.1/1000 in 2012) (P < 0.001). In the same period, a total of 1145 @entity1 were hospitalized with a @entity992 , with a 6-fold reduced risk of hospitalization over time (from 4.8 to 0.8/100   000 population per year; P < 0.001). Varicella vaccination coverage rates increased from 40% (2001 birth cohort) to 85% (2010 birth cohort), and inversely correlated with both notification and hospitalization rates (P < 0.001). Finally, 80.0% of subjects enrolled in the seroepidemiological survey were positive for @entity992 and seroprevalence increased significantly with age in both sexes (P < 0.001). Discussion The results show the impact of @entity1 universal @entity992 vaccination in Sicily. Noteworthy, notifications and hospitalizations for @entity992 have significantly decreased after the introduction of universal vaccination, confirming the effectiveness of the adopted strategy.
