Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Rubella Vaccine in MMR-Vaccinated Children and its Correlation with IL-6 and IFN-γ levels in Thi-Qar Province/ Iraq
Keywords:
Rubella virus IgG, MMR vaccine, IL-6, IFN-γAbstract
Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Rubella vaccine in childrenwho have received the MMR vaccine.
Material and Methods: The study design is a case - control study. This study was performed
in Thi-Qar Province, Iraq, from Sep-2023 to Jan-2024. 176 children were included (117 cases and
59 controls), aged less than thirteen years. The ELISA technique was used to detect anti-Rubella
Virus IgG.
Results: The seroprevalence of Rubella Virus IgG in the case group was positive in 110 (94.0%)
of 117 children. While within the control group, 29 (49.2%) of 59 children were positive, there
was a significant difference in IgG titer between both groups (p-value <0.001), but according to
sex, there were no significant differences between males and females in both groups (p- value =
0.957 and p- value = 0.711, respectively). The results found a positive correlation with INF-γ (r =
0.921, p- value < 0.001), but no correlation with IL-6 (r = 0.018, p- value = 0.849).
Conclusions: Our study concludes that the Rubella vaccine is potent for children who have been
vaccinated, with effectiveness reaching 94%, which is a very good percentage for controlling
disease. We recommend increasing vaccine coverage in Thi-Qar province.
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