Seroepidemiological survey of rubella immunity among three populations in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

We used indirect ELISA assay to test 1193 sera for rubella IgG and IgM antibodies in a seroepidemiological survey of three age- and gender-differentiated sample populations in Shiraz: 203 children aged 2-7 years, 255 paired mothers and neonates [cord blood] and 480 women aged 14-70 years. Seropositivity among women aged 14-70 years was 96.2%. No IgM positive case was found among the 255 tested cord blood samples. Seropositivity among the 203 children was 97.0% [much higher than previously reported]. This may be due to rubella epidemics, which tend to occur every 6-10 years. The impact of introducing rubella vaccination is discussed