title: Universal rubella vaccination programme and maternal rubella immune status: a tale of two systems.
abstract: Maternal rubella status was compared between local residents with non-residents who delivered in our hospital during 1998-2008. Among the 60,822 women, non-immunity was more common in the non-residents (19.9% versus 8.1%, P<0.001). Significant difference and positive correlation with age and parity were found for both groups, but a significant inverse correlation with year-of-birth was found only in the residents. Regression analysis confirmed that birth after 1970 was associated with reduced odds of non-immunity, which indicated that the rubella vaccination programme, introduced since 1978, has succeeded in reducing the incidence of non-immunity to <5% in the youngest generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: lao-tt@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Terence T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Stephen S H
authors.initials: SSH
authors.lastname: Suen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Tak Yeung
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Daljit S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Sahota
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Tze Kin
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012409:Rubella / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012411:Rubella Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012411:Rubella Vaccine