Seroprevalence of rubella among women of childbearing age in Taiwan after nationwide vaccination.

Abstract

Abstract. Taiwan initiated a nationwide program in 1986 to have all 15-year-old schoolgirls vaccinated against rubella and another program in 1992 to encourage all women of childbearing age to receive rubella vaccination. To assess the immunity among women after the implementation of these programs, we conduct a serosurvey. We recruited women who were 15-44 years old and received pre-employment health examinations at the clinic of an industrial park from January 1 to June 30, 2000. Anti-rubella antibody titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassays. All 1,087 women who fit the selection criteria agreed to participate, and the overall susceptible (seronegative) rate was 5.7%. The susceptible rate was much lower among women who were covered by both programs than women who were not (4% versus 23%, P < 0.001). The nationwide vaccination programs were effective, but a substantial proportion of childbearing-age women were still susceptible and need booster vaccination.

Rubella Seroepidemiology and Catch-up Immunization among Pregnant Women in Taiwan: Comparison between Women Born in Taiwan and Immigrants from Six Countries in Asia

“…In our study, we found that the susceptibility rate in women born before September 1971 was approximately 28.2%. Seronegativity in older women in our southern Taiwan study was close to the result reported by Su and Guo 13 for southern central Taiwan, but much higher than the results in Taipei. These results show a lower rate of voluntary rubella vaccination among women of childbearing age in the Pingtung area relative to those in other areas in Taiwan.…”

“…The seronegativity was 4.0% (39 of 985) in the study of Su and Guo, which was conducted in rural areas of southern central Taiwan (Tainan County). 13 In women born before 1971 (> 15 years of age in 1986), the seronegativity rates were 0% (0 of 4), 12.8% (69 of 537), and 23% (23 of 100) in the studies reported by Wang and others, 11 Lu and others, 12 and Su and Guo, 13 respectively ( Table 5 ). In an effort to prevent rubella infections in all pregnant women, the Taiwanese government implemented the adult female vaccination program in 1987 to encourage childbearing women to receive vaccination.…”

Persistence and Titer Changes of Rubella Virus Antibodies in Primiparous Women Who Had Been Vaccinated with Strain RA 27/3 in Junior High School

“…We found that among all the primiparous women, the seronegativity was 6.5% (95% CI, 6.1 to 6.9%), and the average GMT was 65.9 IU/ml (95% CI, 64.7 to 67.1 IU/ml). Relative to the rubella virus seronegativity rates among local women of childbearing age who were born after the onset of the vaccination program in different areas of Taiwan (11,21,24), the average seronegativity from the present study was higher than those in northern and central-southern Taiwan (4.9 and 4.0%) but lower than that in southern Taiwan (7.9%). In comparing the seronegativity of rubella virus antibodies in Taiwan nationwide to the results from a previous study (12), the susceptible rate found in the current study was slightly higher than that for pregnant women born during 1971 to 1975 (6.5 versus 6.1%) and lower than that for those born after 1976 (6.5 versus 7.2%).…”

“…This program was extended, with one dose of MMR (RA 27/3) vaccine being given to all junior high and elementary school students and preschool children in 1992 to 1994. The rubella vaccination programs among junior high school girls had a high coverage rate (about 98%) (21). Congenital rubella in Taiwan is currently a category 3 reportable disease, and rubella is a category 2 reportable disease; suspected cases must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and samples must be sent to the CDC laboratory for confirmation.…”

Comparison of Four Methods Using Throat Swabs To Confirm Rubella Virus Infection

“…In general, a large proportion of unimmunized populations in areas where rubella is endemic are infected and become immune before puberty. Nevertheless, approximately 3 to 23% of adults remain susceptible in various countries and areas (4,8,15,17).…”