Impact of the Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of the 1998 Australian Measles Control Campaign on immunity to measles and rubella, 4400 opportunistically-collected sera, submitted to diagnostic laboratories across Australia from subjects aged 1–49 years, and 3000 from subjects aged 1–18-years, were tested before and after the campaign, respectively. The proportion of individuals aged 1–18 years who were immune to measles rose from 85% before, to 90% after, the campaign (P < 0·001). The greatest increase was in preschool (7%, P < 0·001) and primary school (10%, P < 0·001) children, who were actively targeted by the campaign. Rubella immunity in 1–18 year-olds rose from 83% to 91% (P < 0·001), again with significant increases in preschool (4%, P = 0·002) and primary school (16%, P < 0·001) children. 94% of individuals aged 19–49 years were immune to rubella. These serosurveys confirm other evidence of the effectiveness of the Australian Measles Control Campaign and demonstrate the value of serosurveillance using opportunistically collected sera.