Should health care workers be tested after vaccination to ensure that they are immune?
The ACIP does not recommend routine testing for varicella immunity after two doses of vaccine because 99% of adults seroconvert after two doses of vaccine. Additionally, there are difficulties interpreting negative lab tests post-vaccination since commercially available tests may not be sensitive enough to detect low levels of antibody post-vaccination. For institutions that choose to do post-vaccination testing, it is suggested that if EIA tests are used for initial screening post-vaccination, then further tests should be conducted on those with negative results using a more sensitive test (e.g.FAMA (flourescent antibody-to-membrane antigen), latex agglutination).
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