Impact of the Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella. |
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| Authors: | G L Gilbert R G Escott H F Gidding F M Turnbull T C Heath P B McIntyre M A Burgess |
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| Institution: | National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children and University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. |
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| Abstract: | To evaluate the impact of the 1998 Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella, 4400 opportunistically-collected sera, submitted to diagnostic laboratories across Australia from subjects aged 1-49 years, and 3000 from subjects aged 1-18 years, were tested before and after the campaign, respectively. The proportion of individuals aged 1-18 years who were immune to measles rose from 85% before, to 90% after, the campaign (P < 0.001). The greatest increase was in preschool (7%, P < 0.001) and primary school (10%, P < 0.001) children, who were actively targeted by the campaign. Rubella immunity in 1-18 year-olds rose from 83% to 91% (P < 0.0001), again with significant increases in preschool (4%, P = 0.002) and primary school (16%, P < 0.001) children. 94% of individuals aged 19-49 years were immune to rubella. These serosurveys confirm other evidence of the effectiveness of the Australian Measles Control Campaign and demonstrate the value of serosurveillance using opportunistically collected sera. |
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