International Journal of Preventive Medicine (Int J Prev Med)2008-78021411202312181216EN1. Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran 2- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranDepartment of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranMedical Student, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranDepartment of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran20231218<p>Background: Infections with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV‑2) and varicella‑zoster virus (VZV) are associated with serious maternal and neonatal health consequences. The literature review reveals a research gap regarding the seroprevalence of HSV‑2 and VZV among women of reproductive age in Mashhad, Northeast of Iran. The present study aims to evaluate the seroprevalence of these viruses among a group of women in Mashhad, Iran. Methods: Sera were collected by health center personnel using a cluster sampling method from healthy women with specific age characteristics residing in three distinct socioeconomic regions of the city. The participants, aged 20–35, were divided into three groups (20–25, 26–30, and 31–35 years). The levels of VZV and HSV‑2 IgG antibodies were evaluated using commercial ELISA kits. Subsequently, the results were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: A total of 93 women were included in the study. Anti‑HSV‑2 IgG antibody was detected in 3 out of 93 participants (7.5%), while anti‑VZV IgG antibody was found positive in 80 out of 93 individuals (83.3%). The HSV‑2 positive cases were concurrently positive for the VZV antibody. There was no significant difference in the positivity of anti‑HSV‑2 and anti‑VZV antibody positivity within age groups or socioeconomic status (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: The high seroprevalence of VZV among nonvaccinated participants indicates a widespread presence of the virus and underscores its potentially serious impact on community health. Therefore, it is recommended that a VZV vaccination program be considered by the health system. Furthermore, the reactivation of latent HSV‑2, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, during pregnancy should not be disregarded as a life‑threatening threat.</p><p><span class="ej-journal-name" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 500; color: #3b3030; font-family: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">International Journal of Preventive Medicine<span> </span></span><span id="ej-journal-date-volume-issue-pg" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #3b3030; font-family: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005b92; text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;" href="https://journals.lww.com/ijom/pages/currenttoc.aspx">14():123, November 2023.</a></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #3b3030; font-family: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span> </span>|<span> </span></span><span class="ej-journal-doi" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: 500; color: #3b3030; font-family: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">DOI:<span> </span></span><span style="color: #3b3030; font-family: 'Fira Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_239_22</span></p><p> </p><p>Corresponding Author: Dr. Majid Khadem‑Rezaiyan</p><p>E‑mail: Khademrm@mums.ac.ir</p><p>You can also search for this author in: <a title="PubMed" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%28%28Majid+Khadem%E2%80%91Rezaiyan%5BAuthor%5D%29+AND+%28Mashhad+University+of+Medical+Sciences%5BAffiliation%5D%29%29">PubMed</a>  <a title="Google Scholar" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WjZ3PqYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">Google Scholar</a></p>http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/view/2879http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/download/2879/717718720