Rubella Antibody Prevalence and Immunogenicity of Single Dose Rubella Vaccine Among 16 – 25 Years Girls from Bangladesh

Abstract

Rubella virus infection during pregnancy is an important cause of blindness, deafness, congenital heart disease, and mental retardation of the foetus. Multiple sero-surveys of rubella antibody among reproductive aged females of Bangladesh showed that 20-30% of them remain susceptible to rubella as rubella vaccination is yet not included in our national immunization program for adolescent and adult girls. The present study was designed to conduct a sero-survey among unmarried girls of 16 to 25 years to assess their serological status in terms of natural rubella infection and vaccinate the rubella susceptible individuals with a single dose of rubella vaccine to evaluate the immunogenicity of the vaccine. A total of 344 randomly selected unmarried, apparently healthy college students were enrolled and investigated for rubella IgG and IgM antibodies at the Department of Virology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka. Girls who were found to be negative for both rubella IgG and IgM were vaccinated with a single dose of rubella vaccine and tested for rubella antibody after four to six weeks of vaccination. Quantitative analysis of rubella IgG showed that a total of 68.87% study population had protective rubella antibody, 29.36% were susceptible to rubella and 1.74% experienced recent rubella infection. After vaccination, rubella antibody positivity was found to be 100% among 99 (98.02%) of 101 vaccinated girls who were tested for anti rubella IgG. There was statistically significant increase (p <0.001, Paired t Test) in anti-Rubella IgG titres among pre-vaccination and post-vaccination sera. The findings of the study showed that it is mandatory to include young girls in the national immunization programme and immunize them with a single dose of rubella vaccine which was found to be 100% effective.