title: Elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome in the Americas.
abstract: In 2003, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) adopted a resolution calling for rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) elimination in the Americas by the year 2010. To accomplish this goal, PAHO advanced a rubella and CRS elimination strategy including introduction of rubella-containing vaccines into routine vaccination programs accompanied by high immunization coverage, interruption of rubella transmission through mass vaccination of adolescents and adults, and strengthened surveillance for rubella and CRS. The rubella elimination strategies were aligned with the successful measles elimination strategies. By the end of 2009, all countries routinely vaccinated children against rubella, an estimated 450 million people had been vaccinated against measles and rubella in supplementary immunization activities, and rubella transmission had been interrupted. This article describes how the region eliminated rubella and CRS.
authors.affiliation: Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo-Solórzano
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marsigli
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bravo-Alcántara
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flannery
authors.forename: Cuauhtémoc
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruiz Matus
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tambini
authors.forename: Socorro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gross-Galiano
authors.forename: Jon Kim
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Andrus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000569:Americas / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007391:International Cooperation; D032541:Mass Vaccination; D012410:Rubella Syndrome, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012411:Rubella Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012411:Rubella Vaccine