RUBELLA VACCINE IN PUERPERAE

Key words: Rubella, Rubella vaccine, Rubella embriopathy

Rubella vaccine is an effective intervention for primary prevention of handicap. The Authors report their experience concerning a vaccination programme of receptive puerperae in five obstetric departments of Northern Italy. 2850 puerperae entered the study and were tested for rubella antibodies; 220 of them (7,7 %) were negative for Rubella antibodies; 163 women (74 %) received Rubella vaccine, while 57 refused. The Authors conclude that the vaccination of receptive puerperae could be an easy and effective intervention to reduce the risk of Rubella embriopathy in subsequent pregnancies.