Rubella immunisation history as a guide to immunity.

If rubella immunisation is highly effective accurate recall of past immunisation should enable determination of immune state. The accuracy of recall was studied in a group of young adults aged 16-24 who had been offered Cendehill vaccination at school 10-11 years previously. The subjects were asked whether they had been vaccinated and blood was taken for rubella serology. School records of rubella immunisation were compared with the histories of immunisation. A positive history of immunisation at school was correct in 32 out of 33 cases (97%). In contrast a negative history was accurate in only 14 out of 43 cases (33%). Ways of improving the memory of immunization are needed if this is to be used to determine immune state in young women.