Reliability of medical students' vaccination histories for immunisable diseases

BACKGROUND: Medical students come into contact with infectious diseases early on their career. Immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases is therefore vital for both medical students and the patients with whom they come into contact. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to compare the medical history and serological status of selected vaccine-preventable diseases of medical students in Germany. RESULTS: The overall correlation between self-reported medical history statements and serological findings among the 150 students studied was 86.7 %, 66.7 %, 78 % and 93.3 % for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella, conditional on sufficient immunity being achieved after one vaccination. Although 81.2 % of the students' medical history data correlated with serological findings, significant gaps in immunity were found. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that medical history alone is not a reliable screening tool for immunity against the vaccine-preventable diseases studied.