Mumps and rubella surveillance in Victoria, 1993 to 2000

Abstract

Despite improving childhood coverage of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) in Victoria during the 1990s, mumps and rubella notifications in age groups eligible for vaccination persisted. This study reviewed the mumps and rubella surveillance data from 1993 to 2000 with a specific focus on method of diagnosis. There were 474 notifications of mumps over the seven-year period (annual median 61, range 40 to 77) and 3,544 notifications of rubella (annual median 297, range 66 to 1,165). The highest notifications rates for mumps were consistently among the 1-4 and 5-9 year age groups, whereas there was a marked change in the age distribution of rubella notifications during this interval. A large rubella outbreak occurred in 1995 with 1,165 notifications; the highest notification rates were males aged 15-24 years, infants under one year of age (males and females), and those aged 5-14 years (males and females), respectively. The susceptibility of 5-24 year olds reflects historical changes to the Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule. Rubella notifications returned to baseline levels in 1998 with the highest notification rates in infants aged under one year, and children aged 1-4 years. For both mumps and rubella, the majority of notifications for all age groups were clinically diagnosed, and were most common in children. Commun Dis Intell 2003;27:94-99.