Nationwide campaign for vaccination of adults against rubella and measles--Costa Rica, 2001.

In 1999 in Costa Rica, a large rubella outbreak occurred among persons aged 15-45 years. In response, the Ministry of Health adopted the goal of eliminating rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). In 2001, a nationwide vaccination campaign reached approximately 1.6 million (>95%) persons aged 15-39 years. This report highlights successful aspects of the campaign, including effective planning, cooperation among government ministries, social mobilization, the use of house-to-house vaccination teams, daily coverage reports from local staff, vaccine safety monitoring, and strategies for ensuring a sufficient national blood supply. This campaign will strengthen measles eradication and lead to rubella and CRS elimination in Costa Rica.