Rubella seroprevalence among the general population in Dongguan, China

Abstract

In order to assess immunity to rubella infection in Dongguan, China, we conducted a seroprevalence survey on rubella and measured rubella-specific IgG in serum samples by ELISA. A total of 1017 individuals aged 0–59 years were selected with a multistage cluster sampling. Among them, 904 (88.9%) were seropositive to rubella. Two groups (20–29 and ≥40 years) had seropositivity rates <90%. Compared to participants age ≥20 years, rubella protection rates were higher in participants aged <20 years (93.7% vs. 83.2%; χ²=28.063, p<0.001). Among women aged 20–29 years, only 63.8% had antibodies above the protective level. Multivariate analysis revealed that only sex and age were significantly associated with rubella protective antibody levels. Our results suggest that the women of childbearing age have greater serological susceptibility to rubella in our area. Additional vaccination of susceptible young adults with rubella-containing vaccine should be considered, especially in women before pregnancy.