ABSTRACT
To measure the prevalence of anti-rubella IgG and hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] among pregnant women in Kuwait in order to assess the effectiveness of the current vaccination programs. This retrospective study involved 4,062 pregnant women evaluated in health centers in the Hawalli Province of Kuwait. They were screened for anti-rubella IgG and HBsAg using commercially available assays. The data were obtained from medical laboratory records. The mean age of the pregnant women was 29.2 +/- 5.26 years [range 17-49]. The rubella IgG prevalence among the pregnant women was 88.4% [n = 3,589]; 276 [6.8%] of the pregnant women had no antibody to rubella, and 197 [4.8%] had rubella antibody levels /= 40 years, respectively [p = 0.016]. The prevalence of HBsAg was 0.3%, and it did not vary with age. The prevalence of both anti-rubella IgG and HBsAg among pregnant women in Kuwait was relatively high. However, about 11.6% of pregnant women in Kuwait remain susceptible to rubella infection and hence congenital infection and fetal malformation