Rubella Vaccination of Hospital Employees
- Stephen R. Preblud, MD;
- Alan R. Hinman, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
Before rubella vaccine was introduced in the United States in 1969, rubella was primarily a disease of elementary school-aged children.1 However, outbreaks have also occurred in adolescent and young adult populations (eg, military recruits2) because 15% to 20% of persons in these age groups were susceptible.1,3 Widespread vaccination of young children has successfully interrupted the characteristic six- to nine-year rubella epidemic cycle, reduced overall reported endemic rubella activity by 70%, and decreased the number of reported cases in children younger than 15 years by 85%.1
On the other hand, the risk of rubella among adolescents and young adults, who now account for most reported cases, has declined less dramatically, as evidenced by their unchanged susceptibility rate1,4 and by outbreaks in secondary schools,5 colleges,5-7 and military bases.3,8 Because hospital employees are likely to be as susceptible as the general public,9-14 outbreaks in
