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Rubella Vaccine Trial
The Health Department co-operated in the trial of a vaccine against rubella (German
measles). Rubella is usually a mild disease, but when it is contracted in the first
three months of pregnancy may give rise to congenital malformations of the baby
in a proportion of cases. These malformations may affect the heart, or cause blindness
or mental defect, and some children may be born with a combination of these
defects.
The Inner London Education Authority carried out the trial of a vaccine against
rubella in seven girls schools in the London area, one of which was situated within
the Borough of Lewisham. Vaccination was offered to all girls in the first two school
years (11½ years to 13½ years of age) in this school. A blood test was taken from
each girl participating, and the girl was inoculated. The blood samples were flown
to the U.S.A. for estimations of the serum antibodies against rubella and subsequently
more blood tests were taken to investigate any antibody rise after inoculation.
Of those girls who had originally had no protection against the disease, the second
blood tests showed that inoculation had produced a 99.6% rise of antibodies—
sufficient to protect against rubella.
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