Rubella Vaccination and Thrombocytopenia††

Summary: Mild thrombocytopenia occurred significantly more often in a group of young women who received live attenuated rubella virus vaccine than in their matched controls. All responded serologically to the vaccine, but the thrombocytopenia commenced before circulating rubella antibodies could be detected, suggesting an infective rather than an immunologic mechanism. Thrombocytopenia has been associated with other viral infections; it appears to be also a feature of rubella vaccination. It is interesting to speculate on its incidence in the children and adolescents at present being vaccinated.