A SURVEY OF IMMUNITY AGAINST RUBELLA AMONG PRE-MARRIAGE FEMALES IN AHWAZ CITY USING ELISA METHOD

Rubella is an acute exanthematous viral infection in both children and adults. The disease may cause severe congenital anomalies in newborns if exposed to this virus during early pregnancy. Vaccination, the best way to prevent it a routine program in several countries. But in Iran, it has not been included in National vaccination program, yet. The objective of this study was to determine seroprevalence of rubella among pre-marriage females living in Ahwaz City to evaluate whether there is a need for overall vaccination across the country or not. Four hundred women were randomly selected from those referred for routine pre-marriage tests, and blood samples were obtained from them. Rubella IgG antibody was measured using ELISA method. The results showed that out of 400 women 366 cases (93 %) were seropositive, 28 cases seronegative and the remaining 6 cases were suspicious and therefore were omitted from the study. Result from the worldwide vaccination show a rate of 95 % immunity against rubella. Furthermore, considering this there is a non-significant difference in the level of protection between the vaccinated population and development of natural immunity if the results of the forthcoming studies in other parts of the country confirm the same level of protection, it may be concluded that a vaccination program against rubella, is not an urgent priority at the present time, in Iran.