Immunity to rubella in prepubertal girls in Prince Edward Island

A survey of rubella immunity was conducted among prepubertal girls in Prince Edward Island. Of the 431 girls enrolled in grade 4 in a random sample of schools 83% had a school record of having been vaccinated after their first birthday. A screening test of finger-prick samples revealed that 95% of the girls with a written history of vaccination after their first birthday were immune, 79% of those vaccinated before their first birthday or for whom the date of vaccination was uncertain were immune, and 40% of unvaccinated girls were immune. Of the 49 susceptible girls 43 were vaccinated; all but 2 were found to be immune on retesting. The findings support the recommendation of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to vaccinate all prepubertal girls without a written history of rubella vaccination after their first birthday.