Epidemiologic and preventive studies of rubella in female office workers

In order to prevent maternal rubella infection, serum antibody titers for rubella were estimated in a total of 965 female office workers residing in the vicinities of Tokyo and Osaka using hemagglutination-inhibition test. Approximately 40% of the young women tested were then observed to be susceptible to the disease, and the percentage was not apparently changed by a large rubella epidemic which occurred while our research proceeded, suggesting the necessity to attain immunization in the suceptible before pregnancy. By our surveillance on the occurrence of rubella infection over one-year period among the women having received the serologic test, we found a particular case, where a titer of 1 : 8, being considered to be the immunized level, had been determined. The finding indicates that vaccination should be aimed at the persons having the titer of 1 : 8 as well as of less than 1 : 8. Attenuated live rubella-virus vaccine was administered to 42 volunteers susceptible to the disease, and their serum titers were estimated again about one year after the inoculation. Then, the vaccination proved effective in 41 of the vaccinees but one who was found still susceptible by unknown reason.