Seroconversion after administration of measles vaccine to central Australian Aboriginal children at nine months of age

Abstract

A simple procedure for examining the seroconversion rates to measles vaccines in outlying communities is described; this involves the storage and transportation of dried-blood samples on filter paper, which is followed by the detection of measles-specific antibodies by means of a commercially-available immunofluorescence assay. Among 82 susceptible central Australian Aboriginal infants who were vaccinated at nine months of age, 76 (93% [95% confidence limits, 84.9%-96.6%]) children demonstrated seroconversion as a result of the vaccine, which is a figure that is similar to those that have been reported from some developing countries. The implications for a measles-vaccination policy are discussed.