Coverage of the Measles-Rubella mass camping vaccination in southern Tehran, Iran

The ministry of health and medical education in Iran launched a nation-wide campaign against measles and rubella (MR) in December 2003. The target population in southern Tehran covered by Tehran university of medical included 590000 people. Based on official reports, the campaign’s coverage level in this area was 109%. The unexpectedly high coverage level was the principal motivation for this study. 400 households were selected by cluster sampling. In each eligible household one of the family members in the target age group was selected at random. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for data analysis. 98% (95% CI: 96-100) of the 5 to 25 year-old people under study were vaccinated. 3 people (0.8%) in the vaccinated group were not from the target group for the vaccination program. 38 people (9.7%) from the vaccinated group presented with mild side effects. Just one case of anaphylactic shock was reported in the study subjects. Non-compliance in the mass vaccination campaign was due to pregnancy (3 people), being too busy (3 people), sickness (1 person) and fear of vaccination (1 person). 45% of population had been covered by mobile vaccination teams. 98% had obtained vaccination cards. Compared to similar programs worldwide, figures from our mass vaccination program within this short period of time demonstrate the success of the executive managers in providing high levels of coverage. Evaluation of immune response and cost effectiveness analysis of the campaign are necessary for more comprehensive evaluation.