Resurgence of congenital rubella syndrome in the 1990s: Report on missed opportunities and failed prevention policies among women of childbearing age

1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-88
Author(s):  
S.H. Lee ◽  
D.P. Ewert ◽  
P.D. Frederick ◽  
L Mascola
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Anna Lena Lopez ◽  
Peter Francis N. Raguindin ◽  
Maria Asuncion Silvestre ◽  
Xenia Cathrine J. Fabay ◽  
Ariel B. Vinarao ◽  
...  

Background. As part of regional elimination efforts, rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) have recently been introduced in the Philippines, yet the true burden of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the country is largely unknown.Objective. To provide baseline information on rubella and CRS prior to routine vaccine introduction in the Philippines.Methods. We conducted a systematic literature review on rubella and CRS in the Philippines, including a cross-sectional study conducted in 2002 among 383 pregnant women attending the obstetric outpatient clinic of the Philippine General Hospital to assess rubella susceptibility of women of childbearing age.Results. 15 locally published and unpublished studies were reviewed. Susceptibility to rubella among women of childbearing age was higher in rural communities. Retrospective reviews revealed congenital heart diseases, cataracts, and hearing impairments to be most common presentations in children of CRS. In the cross-sectional study, 59 (15.4%) of the 383 pregnant women enrolled were seronegative for rubella IgG.Conclusion. Similar to other countries introducing RCV, it was only recently that surveillance for rubella has been established. Previous studies show substantial disabilities due to CRS and a substantial proportion of susceptible women who are at risk for having babies affected with CRS. Establishment of CRS surveillance and enhanced awareness on rubella case detection should be prioritized.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Panagiotopoulos ◽  
T Georgakopoulou

In 1993, there was a large epidemic of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in Greece. The epidemiology of rubella and CRS after 1993 is described in this paper using information from surveillance data and published studies and reports. The incidence of rubella fell sharply after 1993, but a smaller outbreak occurred in 1999, mainly in young adults, and four CRS cases (4.0 per 100 000 live births) were recorded. A very high proportion of the child population in Greece are currently vaccinated for rubella, while teenagers are inadequately covered (60-80% in different studies). A substantial proportion of women of childbearing age are susceptible to rubella (10-20% in urban areas). This could lead to local or more extended outbreaks. This situation shows that a comprehensive preventive policy should be implemented.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-290
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Chan ◽  
Yue Wu ◽  
James Wood ◽  
Mohammad Muhit ◽  
Mohammed K. Mahmood ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable congenital anomalies. Comprehensive country-level data on the burden of CRS in low and middle-income countries, such as Bangladesh, are scarce. This information is essential for assessing the impact of rubella vaccination programs. We aim to systematically review the literature on the epidemiology of CRS and estimate the burden of CRS in Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of existing literature and transmission modelling of seroprevalence studies to estimate the pre-vaccine period burden of CRS in Bangladesh. OVID Medline (1948 – 23 November 2016) and OVID EMBASE (1974 – 23 November 2016) were searched using a combination of the database-specific controlled vocabulary and free text terms. We used an age-stratified deterministic model to estimate the pre-vaccination burden of CRS in Bangladesh. Findings: Ten articles were identified, published between 2000 and 2014, including seven crosssectional studies, two case series and one analytical case-control study. Rubella seropositivity ranged from 47.0% to 86.0% among all age population. Rubella sero–positivity increased with age. Rubella seropositivity among women of childbearing age was 81.0% overall. The estimated incidence of CRS was 0·99 per 1,000 live births, which corresponds to approximately 3,292 CRS cases annually in Bangladesh. Conclusion: The estimated burden of CRS in Bangladesh during the pre-vaccination period was high. This will provide important baseline information to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of routine rubella immunisation, introduced in 2012 in Bangladesh.


2000 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. PEBODY ◽  
W. J. EDMUNDS ◽  
M. CONYN-van SPAENDONCK ◽  
P. OLIN ◽  
G. BERBERS ◽  
...  

Most of the countries in western Europe have now implemented mass infant rubella immunization programmes, instead of or in addition to selective vaccination in order to achieve the elimination of congenital rubella syndrome.The European countries Denmark, England and Wales, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands undertook large, national serological surveys collecting several thousand serum specimens during 1994–8. Antibodies against rubella virus were detected by a variety of enzyme immuno-assays. Comparability of the assay results was achieved by a standardized methodology. The age- and sex-stratified serological results were related to the schedules, coverage of rubella vaccination and the incidence in these countries.The results show widely differing levels of immunity to rubella both in the general population and in the specific age groups of males and females. A low rate (< 5%) of susceptibles in childhood and adolescents of both sexes was obtained only in Finland and the Netherlands.Countries such as Italy with only moderate coverage for the infant immunization programme currently have both high susceptibility levels in the general population and in the at-risk population. The likelihood is of continued epidemics of rubella with cases of congenital rubella syndrome. The continued implementation of selective vaccination will help to offset the impact of this ongoing transmission and to protect women on reaching childbearing age.


2005 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-869 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. DAYAN ◽  
M. S. PANERO ◽  
A. URQUIZA ◽  
M. MOLINA ◽  
S. PRIETO ◽  
...  

To assess rubella and measles susceptibility among women of childbearing age we conducted a cross-sectional seroprevalence study in four cities and one rural area in Argentina. A convenience sample of women aged 15–49 years seeking care in public health-care institutions was selected (n=2804). Serum specimens were tested for rubella and measles IgG antibody titres. The overall susceptibility to rubella and measles was 8·8 and 12·5% respectively. Seroprevalence differences were found for both rubella (P<0·001) and measles (P=0·002) across sites. Rubella seroprevalence was higher in women aged [ges ]40 years than in younger women (P=0·04). Measles seroprevalence tended to increase with age (P<0·001). Approximately 15% of women aged 15–29 years were not immune to measles. No risk factors were associated with rubella seronegativity; however, age (P<0·001) and having less than four pregnancies (P<0·001) were factors associated with measles seronegativity. Our findings support the introduction of supplemental immunization activities targeting adolescents and young adults to prevent congenital rubella syndrome and measles outbreaks over time.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Glismann

An average of 20 000 rubella cases were recorded annually in Denmark until 1987. In 1989, however, only 1006 cases were reported, and the true current incidence of rubella infection in Denmark is unknown but considered to be very low and &lt;1 per 100 000 population. The significant decrease in the inci-dence of rubella mirrors the success of vaccination of rubella seronegative women of childbearing age, which was initiated in Denmark in 1980. From 1982 and onwards the national health security scheme also refunded vaccina-tion of children and the MMR vaccine was introduced in the Danish child-hood vaccination program in 1987. The low incidence has been sustainable due to these interventions, and since 1994 congenital rubella syndrome and rubella in pregnancy have been listed as notifiable infectious diseases in Denmark. Nevertheless, in order to meet the WHO goal of control of rubella in the Region, the introduction of mandatory reporting of all laboratory diagnosed rubella cases is now being considered.


2000 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. SEMERIKOV ◽  
I. N. LAVRENTYEVA ◽  
V. F. POPOV ◽  
M. A. FLETCHER ◽  
M. E. KOLOTOV

A review of the epidemiology of clinical rubella in the Perm region of the Russian Federation from 1979–97 showed that the incidence was about 220 cases per 100000 population. Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) accounted for 15% of birth defects and for about 3·5 cases of CRS per 1000 live births per year. Surveys of the seroepidemiology of rubella infection revealed that the susceptibility rate among pregnant women (i.e. rubella virus antibody haemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) assay titres < 10) was 16·5%. As serum rubella antibody HAI titres [ges ] 10 both prevented infection in pregnant women and protected their foetuses, serological testing has been introduced into the routine antenatal services. Pre-existing rubella antibodies were found not to interfere with the immune response to vaccination, so selective immunization was provided to girls approaching puberty and to women of childbearing age. A programme of epidemiological surveillance is being developed to define tactics for the widescale introduction of rubella vaccination.


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