Complications of rubella immunization in children

A rubella vaccine, prepared in dog kidney cell culture, was given to 4,734 primary school children in one California county in May, 1970. Adverse reactions of arthritis, arthralgia and paresthesia were reported two to eight weeks later. Paresthesia was a very prominent complaint and showed a peculiar diurnal pattern. Objective findings in a group of symptomatic children who came to medical attention were limited to tender, swollen, small joints. Rubella virus was isolated from throat swabs from two children with symptoms 38 and 43 days after immunization.A sample telephone survey of immunized and non-immunized children was conducted two to three months after the vaccination program to estimate the frequency, type, and distribution of reactions. Approximately 7 percent of inoculated children had symptoms subsequent to vaccination. Almost no reactions were found in the control group. There was a preponderance of girls affected, but symptoms appeared to be more severe in boys. The highest complication rate was found in the youngest age group. These reactions should be brought to the attention of medical groups and the public, but since these reactions are usually mild and self-limited, ongoing immunization programs need not be altered.