RESULTS OF A RUBELLA SCREENING-PROGRAM FOR HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES - A 5-YEAR REVIEW (1986-1990)

The Barnes Hospital Employee Health Service (St. Louis, Missouri) rube lla screening program was evaluated over the 5-year period between Jan uary 1, 1986, and December 31, 1990. A total of 6,969 new employees we re hired, and 6,115 (87.7%) were screened for evidence of rubella immu nity by the Employee Health Service. Rubella serology was performed on 5,893 (96.4%) of the screened employees, while 222 (3.6%) had documen tation of prior rubella vaccination or rubella infection. The absence of immunity was identified in 325 employees or 5.3% of all those scree ned. Women were more frequently screened by the Employee Health Servic e than were men (p < 0.0001), and blacks were more frequently screened than were non-Hispanic Caucasians (p < 0.0001). Physicians were less frequently screened than were other departmental groups (p < 0.0001). The rate of seronegativity for each year of hire varied from 4.45 to 6 .76%, but these differences were not significant. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that 5-year birth cohorts correlated significant ly with serologic status. Employees born in 1960-1964 were least likel y to be seronegative, and employees born in 1970 or later were most li kely to be seronegative. Sex, race, and department group were not pred ictive of serologic status, although significant differences in result s from different rubella assays were detected. Only 13.8% of seronegat ive employees were subsequently vaccinated by the Employee Health Serv ice. This study demonstrates a lower seronegativity rate than did prev ious studies. It identifies groups of employees likely to escape rubel la screening and low vaccination rates. It finds increasing seronegati vity among employees born after 1964 that correlates with the reported increasing rates of rubella in the United States.