Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

  Background & Aim: Rubella is an infectious viral disease with a worldwide distribution. Infection during early pregnancy may cause fetal death or congenital rubella syndrome(CRS). The high risk of CRS is found in countries with high susceptibility rates among women of child bearing age. Expanded program of vaccination has increased vaccine coverage and exerted a substantial impact on the reduction of rubella infections such as CRS. This study was done to evaluate rubella serology before and after MR vaccination in women who were going to get married in 2000 and 2006.

  Patients and Method: A cross-sectional analytic study was done on 250 pre-marriage women who had already participated in the national program of MR vaccination and now were referred to the health center for pre-marriage screening tests. Being selected at random, the subjects entered the study. Anti-rubella IgG was measured by ELISA. The results of this study were compared with the results of a previous study done in 2000, that is, before the national MR vaccination program. SPSS software version 13 was used to analyze the data.

  Results: The present study revealed that 98.4% of the subjects in our studied group were immune against rubella, while the study conducted in 2000 reported that 83.5% of the studied population were so, suggesting a statistically significant difference before and after vaccination(P=0.000).

  Conclusion: The national MR vaccination program has resulted in a meaningful increase in anti-rubella immunity level in women who are evaluated for pre-marriage tests.