Several outbreaks of varicella have occurred among refugees. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of varicella susceptibility among refugees, and identify risk factors for varicella susceptibility. All refugees rostered at Crossroads Clinic in Toronto, Canada in 2011–2014 were included in our study. Varicella serology was assessed at the initial visit. Refugees’ age, sex, education, time since arrival, and climate and population density of birth country were abstracted from the chart. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for varicella susceptibility. 1063 refugees were rostered at Crossroads Clinic during the study; 7.9 % (95 % CI 6.1, 9.7) were susceptible to varicella. Tropical climate (OR 3.20, 95 % CI 1.53, 6.69) and younger age (ORper year of age 0.92, 95 % CI 0.88–0.96) were associated with increased varicella susceptibility. These risk factors for varicella susceptibility should be taken into account to maximize the cost-effectiveness of varicella prevention strategies among refugees. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Screening Refugees Chickenpox Immunity Varicella

educational status refugee sex ratio Continental Population Groups ancestry group human epidemiology Refugees middle aged statistics and numerical data chickenpox time factor Time Factors Aged ethnology climate Young Adult Humans Adolescent male Canada preschool child female Infant risk factor Risk Factors Child, Preschool Retrospective Studies adult Sex Distribution age distribution retrospective study Child