title: Prevalence of rubella antibodies among schoolgirls in Sana'a, Republic of Yemen.
abstract: To determine the prevalence of rubella antibodies and age of exposure to rubella among Yemeni schoolgirls, we studied the sera samples of 323 female students (age range 11-21 years; mean age 16.26 +/- 1.89 years) drawn from three schools in Sana'a. All samples were screened for rubella IgG antibodies using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and, if negative, for IgM in order to exclude the possibility of recent exposure. Of 323 sera, 296 (91.64%) were positive for rubella IgG. All IgG negative sera were also IgM negative. Comparable antibody prevalence was observed in all age groups. The prevalence of rubella IgG among Yemeni schoolgirls is high, with most becoming immune between the ages of 11 and 21 years. Although the age of exposure seems to be < or = 13 years, further investigation is needed to confirm this.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sana'a, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sallam
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Raja'a
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Benbrake
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Al-Shaibani
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Al-Hababi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D009313:National Health Programs; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012409:Rubella / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012411:Rubella Vaccine; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014611:Vaccination; D016387:Women's Health; D015006:Yemen / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012411:Rubella Vaccine; C040901:rubella antibodies