Varicella immunization requirements for US colleges: 2014–2015 academic year

ABSTRACT

Objective: To obtain information on varicella prematriculation requirements in US colleges for undergraduate students during the 2014–2015 academic year. Participants: Health care professionals and member schools of the American College Health Association (ACHA). Methods: An electronic survey was sent to ACHA members regarding school characteristics and whether schools had policies in place requiring that students show proof of 2 doses of varicella vaccination for school attendance. Results: Only 27% (101/370) of schools had a varicella prematriculation requirement for undergraduate students. Only 68% of schools always enforced this requirement. Private schools, 4-year schools, northeastern schools, those with <5,000 students, and schools located in a state with a 2-dose varicella vaccine mandate were significantly more likely to have a varicella prematriculation requirement. Conclusions: A small proportion of US colleges have a varicella prematriculation requirement for varicella immunity. College vaccination requirements are an important tool for controlling varicella in these settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Chickenpox
• college
• immunization
• vaccination
• varicella

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States. This was considered to be a non-research activity and therefore not subject to review by the CDC institutional review board.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge and thank the ACHA members and member schools for taking the time to complete the survey. Their responses provided valuable information on current policies related to varicella prematriculation requirements for college students. We would also like to thank Jessica Allen for her thoughtful review of the manuscript.

Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.