Association of parental vaccination reports with measles, mumps, and rubella protective antibody levels: comparison of Somali immigrant, Hispanic migrant, and US children in Rochester, Minn.

OBJECTIVES: To compare measles, mumps, and rubella antibody levels in Somali immigrant, Hispanic migrant, and US children in Rochester, Minn, and to determine whether parental vaccination reports predict seropositivity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: From 1995 to 1997, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis using measles, mumps, and rubella antibody levels obtained from a sample of Somali, Hispanic, and Rochester children. Volunteers provided blood samples, vaccination histories, and demographic information. We assessed differences in measles, mumps, and rubella antibody levels among the 3 groups of children and calculated positive and negative predictive values to determine whether parental report of vaccination predicted seropositivity.
RESULTS: Study participants included 79 Hispanic migrant, 69 Somali immigrant, and 730 Rochester children. Somali children reported vaccination at significantly older ages compared with Hispanic or Rochester children (P<.001). Most children were seropositive for all 3 antibodies. Parental reports of vaccination had high positive predictive values (71%-100%) but low negative predictive values (0%-50%).
CONCLUSION: Somali and Hispanic children were as likely as Rochester children to be seropositive for measles, mumps, and rubella antibodies despite poor documentation of vaccination. Somali children, however, tended to receive vaccinations at significantly older ages than Hispanic and Rochester children.