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Rubella immunisation history as a guide to immunity.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|March 1, 1983
Summary
Accurate recall of rubella (German measles) vaccination is crucial for determining immunity. While positive vaccination history is reliable (97%), negative history is often inaccurate (33%), highlighting a need for better memory recall methods.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Public Health
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Rubella immunisation is highly effective in establishing immunity.
- Accurate determination of immune status is essential for public health strategies, particularly for women of childbearing age.
- Self-reported vaccination history is often used to assess immune status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of self-reported rubella immunisation history in young adults.
- To compare recalled vaccination status with serological evidence and school records.
- To identify potential gaps in vaccination recall for effective immunity assessment.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of young adults aged 16-24 years, previously offered Cendehill rubella vaccination in school, was studied.
- Subjects provided a history of their school-based immunisation.
- Rubella serology was performed, and histories were compared against school vaccination records.
Main Results:
- A positive history of school-based rubella immunisation was highly accurate, with 97% agreement with records (32/33).
- Conversely, a negative history of immunisation was significantly less accurate, with only 33% accuracy (14/43).
- This indicates a substantial underestimation of actual immunisation in those reporting no vaccination.
Conclusions:
- While positive recall of rubella vaccination is reliable, negative recall is often inaccurate.
- Improved methods for enhancing memory of immunisation are necessary for accurate determination of immune status in young women.
- Relying solely on self-reported negative vaccination history can lead to misclassification of immune status.