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Sero-prevalence of Rubella Infection
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Background
The burden of rubella infection in most of the developing countries especially in Africa is not well documented because of limited epidemiological studies. Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the newborn is one of the important complications of rubella infection. Many countries have introduced MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to control CRS. Measles has been successfully controlled in many countries by vaccination centered measles control program. However, most of the African countries have not included MMR vaccine in their national immunization program. Objective The exact magnitude of Rubella cases in this geographic area is not known. The availability of an effective vaccine to prevent Rubella infection and therefore CRS, has made it necessary to evaluate the burden of disease in a country where MMR vaccine is not covered in the immunization schedule or in vaccination strategy. A retrospective study was undertaken to find out the seroprevalence of rubella infection in Eritrea.
Material and Methods
This study was done in the Immunoserology section of National Health Laboratory of Eritrea which is also National Reference Laboratory. The results of earlier years were collected from the National Measles reference Laboratory and this data is primary and reliable. Rubella specific IgM kit was used using Dade-Behring, Germany ELISA kit. Specimen collection, handling, transport and processing were done as per the instructions given by the manufacturer.
Results
The seroprevalence of rubella cases (69) were high in the year 2006, when compared to other years. Like in most of the studies, the distribution of Rubella cases was maximum in children of below 14 years. Seasonal distribution of the rubella cases shows, 96% were recorded in January to May 2006 with highest number occurring in the month of April.
Conclusion
The results analysis indicate the prevalence of Rubella virus in this geographic area and in the absence of MMR vaccine in the immunization schedule there is every possibility of acquiring Rubella infection during pregnancy and therefore CRS.
Keywords
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