Rubella Seroprevalence among the General Population in Dongguan, China

In order to assess the immunity to rubella infection in Dongguan, China, we conducted a seroprevalence survey on rubella and used ELISA to measure rubella-specific IgG in serum samples. A total of 1,017 individuals aged 0-59 years were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Among them, 904 (88.9%) were seropositive for rubella. Two groups (20-29 and >= 40 years) had seropositivity rates of <90%. In comparison with participants aged >= 20 years, rubella immunization rates were higher in those aged <20 years (83.2% vs. 93.7%, respectively; chi(2) = 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 in the study area, women of childbearing age had a greater serological susceptibility to rubella. Additional vaccinations for rubella of susceptible young adults should be considered, particularly in women of childbearing age.