[Selective and controlled mass rubella vaccination - experiences with an economical method (author's transl)]

Immunity to rubella virus was examined in blood samples of 5870 school girls. Only in 22.7% of the girls a vaccination proved necessary. HDC vaccine (strain RA 27/3) was used. By postvaccinal control successful vaccination could be demonstrated in 99.6% of the vaccinated girls. The hemolysis in gel test (HIG) (3557 samples) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (1134 samples) were compared with the hemagglutination inhibition test (HI) as to their reliability and sensitivity in demonstrating rubella virus antibodies. HIG and HI exhibited identical results, whereas with the ELISA diverging results were obtained in 14% of the samples. 30 girls being antibody-positive only in the ELISA were vaccinated. Only 28 of these girls developed rubella specific IgM-antibodies after vaccination. This results strongly suggests that at least in these 28 prevaccinal samples the ELISA yielded false positive results.