Rubella vaccine is recommended for adolescents and adults unless proof of immunity is available. A clinical diagnosis of rubella is not reliable. Immunity can be proved by documentation of immunization at or after one year of age or by a positive serologic test. The hemagglutination inhibition assay is most widely used, but other equally reliable tests are also available. All susceptible individuals are candidates for immunization, particularly women of childbearing age and those in high-risk groups, such as college students, military personnel, hospital workers, and overseas travelers.
Rubella vaccine is contraindicated for pregnant women and immunocompromised patients.
Egg allergy is not a contraindication. Persons with anaphylactic hypersensitivity to neomycin or gelatin should not receive rubella vaccine, because it contains small amounts of neomycin and gelatin. Neither rubella vaccine nor immune globulin will prevent infection or suppress viremia if given after a susceptible individual has been exposed to rubella.