Susceptibility to Rubella among College Students

Abstract

Introduction: Despite a safe and effective vaccine being available for more than two decades, in India, so far there has been no clear- cut policy regarding rubella immunization of children either at 15 months or young girls at child bearing age. Studies from India and abroad have found that 10-20% women in childbearing age are susceptible to rubella. Between 6-12% of babies born with congeni- tal malformations or infections have serological evidence of rubel- la. Methodology: Study was conducted in degree colleges (a health science college/medical college and a general stream). WHO ru- bella questionnaire was suitably modified. The questionnaire was then validated with pilot study in a group of subjects. A venous blood sample was drawn from each study subject and sent on the same day for ELISA for qualitative determination of IgG- class an- tibodies against rubella. Result: Presence of over 16% susceptible college students to rubel- la suggests the possibility of transmission among non-immune in- dividuals. Seropositivity to rubella antibodies was found to be higher amounts males, participants from urban area and partici- pants belonging to high socio-economic status as compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: There is a need for reviewing the necessity of rubella vaccination in National Immunisation Schedule.

Keywords

• Rubella
• Susceptibility
• Vaccination