A population-based seroepidemiological study investigates the presence of antibodies in the blood that results from vaccination and/or infection with a pathogen. Such research complements other means of disease surveillance, such as case notification, and vaccination coverage. It provides insights into groups at-risk for certain infectious diseases and to what degree a pathogen spreads in the population.
Seroepidemiological research has been conducted in Caribbean Netherlands for the first time. The fieldwork by Eric and his team took place in 2017 and was carried out in a large study sample covering all ages. Invitees attended consultation hours where they donated material and filled out questionnaires. An important first result was the suboptimal protection against some vaccine-preventable diseases, e.g., measles and diphtheria, especially in migrants from Latin America and persons originating from the Dutch Caribbean islands. Given the increased circulation of these pathogens, timely adaptations to the National Immunization Program were necessitated, such as to expedite the MMR booster vaccination. The investigation also showed that a relative large part of the island populations were susceptible to varicella-zoster virus, known for causing chickenpox and shingles. Eric: “These findings are very different from temperate regions, such as the Netherlands, and is important knowledge as infection at older age increases the likelihood of severe chickenpox. Introduction of routine varicella vaccination in Caribbean Netherlands was therefore recommended and later adopted by the minister.” Eric further found that a large part of the adult population had been exposed to human papillomavirus. This demonstrated the potential benefits of routine cervical cancer screening in Caribbean Netherlands and contributed to its introduction later.
In the second part of this thesis, large seroepidemiological studies were conducted in the general Dutch population during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has provided valuable insights for decisionmakers and advisory councils, such as the Outbreak Management Team. This research for instance contributed to identification of groups at-risk for infection, provided knowledge on the effectiveness of control measures as well as the durability of the immune response after a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
This thesis emphasizes the important role of seroepidemiology in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Eric: “Herewith we underscore the benefits of a regional-driven approach within the Dutch kingdom, and stress the programmatically embedding of seroepidemiology worldwide to facilitate rapid and adequate information during future response.”
