title: Immunity to tetanus of a rural population in a Greek county.
abstract: Tetanus is still a common problem in countries with poor health conditions. On the contrary, where there is a systematic program of vaccination in children it is very rare. The aim of this study was to check the immunity level of a representative sample of rural people from villages of Achaia County in Southern Greece. Samples were taken from 140 locals during a six-month period (January till July 2002). In each sample, we estimated IgG antibodies against Clostridium tetani toxin. A protection level of 0.1 IU/ml was set. 15.7% of the people had sufficient immunization cover while a statistically significant superiority of immunized men was found. The results of this study revealed low immunity percentage of the examined inhabitants and a vaccination program against the disease has been proposed to the local health authorities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, St. Andrew Hospital.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mendrinou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouzelis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Georgakopoulos
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dodou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Regli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D003017:Clostridium tetani / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population; D013742:Tetanus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid