Seroprevalence of Varicella-Zoster Virus in Females of Childbearing age in Rawalpindi

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in females of childbearing age. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Virology Department, tertiary care hospital, Rawalpindi, from August 2022 to December 2022. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 females, aged 15-49 years, were included in the study. Data of the participants regarding age, socioeconomic status, marital status, and previous history of VZV infection was collected by a predesigned questionnaire. Blood samples were tested for the detection of VZV IgG by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) of Ratio Diagnostic, Germany. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of total 200 samples, 163 (81.5%) were positive for VZV IgG and 37 (18.5%) were negative. The positivity of VZV IgG was highest in age group 2 (20-29 years) with 87 (43.5%) positive cases, followed by 54 (27%) in age group 3 (30-39 years) and 11 (5.5%) in both age group 1 (< 20 years) and age group 4 (40-49 years). Out of 200 participants, 158 (79.0%) were married and 42 (21.0%) were unmarried. Among total, 107 (53.5%) had history of previous VZV infection while 93 (46.5%) had no significant history. Conclusions: This study showed significant exposure of VZV in females of childbearing age and subsequent development of immunity. However, a substantial proportion of females were susceptible to VZV infection. This susceptibility in females could potentially pose a future risk of infection during pregnancy, resulting in severe complications and congenital abnormalities.