Background: Despite effective vaccination programs for measles, mumps, and rubella in the United States and Canada, outbreaks continue to occur in susceptible subgroups, such as foreign-born persons.
Objective: To determine the susceptibility of newly arrived immigrants and refugees to measles, mumps, and rubella.
Design: Seroprevalence study.
Setting: Two hospitals and three community clinics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Patients: 1480 adult immigrants and refugees who were recruited from October 2002 to December 2004.
Measurements: Sociodemographic and clinical data and serology for measles, mumps, and rubella.
Results: Thirty-six percent (range, 22% to 54%) of the study population was nonimmune to at least 1 of the 3 diseases. This proportion varied by age, sex, and region of origin. In multivariate analysis and after adjustment for region of origin, age, and socioeconomic factors, immigrant women had higher odds (odds ratio, 2.1) of being immune to measles (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.8) and an odds ratio of 1.7 of being nonimmune to rubella (CI, 1.2 to 2.6) compared with immigrant men.
Limitations: The results from the community-based convenience sample of immigrants may not be generalizable to all immigrant populations.
Conclusions: Many new immigrants and refugees, particularly women, are susceptible to measles, mumps, or rubella and may benefit from targeted vaccination programs.