Author/Authors :
Almassinokiani, F. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, تهران, ايران , Noorbakhsh, S. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Paediatrics, تهران, ايران , Rezaei, M. kermanshah university of medical sciences - Department of Statistics, ايران , Almasi, A. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Radiology, تهران, ايران , Akbari, H. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, تهران, ايران , Asadolla, S. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, تهران, ايران , Rahimzadeh, P. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Anaesthesiology, تهران, ايران , Saberifard, M. tehran university of medical sciences tums - Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, تهران, ايران
Abstract :
To evaluate the need for congenital rubella syndrome prevention in our national health programme we aimed to determine the rate of anti-rubella positivity in umbilical cord blood samples 8 years after measles– rubella mass vaccination in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a cross-sectional study we tested umbilical cord blood samples for anti-rubella IgG and IgM by ELISA in 154 deliveries at a university hospital in Tehran. Overall 72.7% of umbilical cord blood samples were positive for anti-rubella IgG and 27.3% were negative. All of the samples were negative for anti-rubella IgM. In the samples with a history of mothers’ rubella vaccination, only 87.5% were positive for anti-rubella IgG. The results suggest the need for another mass vaccination for rubella in women of child-bearing age and continuation of routine vaccination of infants, plus consideration of obligatory anti-rubella IgG testing before pregnancy in women who were not vaccinated and vaccination of women before marriage.
