Rubella screening and immunisation of Army recruits.

Copies of Rubella Screening reports for QARANC and WRAC personnel recruited between 1976 and 1980 were analysed. With the exception of WRAC servicewomen, insufficient numbers were screened to be statistically significant until 1980 when 93.1 % were successfully screened. 108 seronegative cases in 1980 were identified and a postal questionnaire was used to evaluate the efficiency of follow up immunisation procedures. The results indicate that only 27.2% of susceptible cases were immunised because of a failure to identify this requirement by the units to which they were posted from recruit training. However, a review of vaccination schedules is likely to enable Rubella immu nisation to be completed during basic training and the merits of widening the scope of immunisation are discussed.