Rubella vaccination in Australia. I. A five-year follow-up of vaccinated school-girls.

: Schoolgirl rubella vaccination commenced in New South Wales in 1971. Serological follow up of 242 girls, four to five years after vaccination, showed that 9% of girls had missed the vaccination programme. Only 5% of vaccinees were still susceptible to rubella in comparison with 27% of unvaccinated male controls. The efficacy of the programme is thus well demonstrated. Screening for vaccine failures at the time of prescribing contraceptives is suggested as a means of detecting schoolgirl vaccine failures. It is noted that the first cohort of schoolgirl vaccinees has not yet reached the peak childbearing age range.