RESUMO
Serum samples from 1252 young adults were screened for rubella antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and hemagglutination ihibition test (HIT) in an attempt to establish the immune status for rubella among northern Jordanians. The overall percentage of susceptible adult males was 8.2%, while in females it was 8.6%. This implies that, in spite of the high prevalence of rubella-specific antibodies in the adult Jordanian female population, protection against rubella through natural infection appears inadequate. Therefore, it is recommended that a nationwide vaccination program be instituted for adolescent and adult females who are not pregnant and will not become pregnant within 3 months of vaccination, and who show no history of rubella vaccination or clinically diagnosed disease. The two techniques correlated well, though ELISA exhibited a higher sensitivity than did HIT.