Abstract
Background: Rubella is an infectious disease of public health importance because infection ac-quired during early pregnancy often results in foetal abnormalities that are classified as con-genital rubella syndrome (CRS). The burden of rubella infection in most developing countries is however not well documented because of lim-ited epidemiological data. Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, 781individuals with febrile rash illness seen in clinics in Akwa Ibom State were screened for rubella specific IgM antibodies using the ELISA technique. Statistical analysis was done using Graph prime version 5.3 statis-tical package at 95% confidence interval. The level of significance was established at P = 0.05 using Fisher’s exact two-tailed values. Results: Of 781 individuals screened for rubella specific IgM antibodies, 94 (12%) were found to be posi-tive. Incidence of 8.7% recorded in 2006 gradu-ally rose to 9.3% in 2007, 11.6% in 2008 and 14.3% in 2009. Those in the reproductive age group (> 16 years) were most affected (51.7%). However, this was not statistically significant (P = 0.228). Females (17.4%) were more suscepti-ble than males (6.2%) (P < 0.0001) an rural dwellers (12.8%) more susceptible than urban dwellers (10.5%) (P = 0.416). Conclusion: The study shows that the incidence of rubella in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria is high. The lowest incidence was however found among individu-als below the reproductive age. Thus, the find-ings of this study can be used by policy makers to model the introduction of routine rubella vaccination into the country’ Expanded Program on Immunization Schedule (EPI).
Highlights
Rubella virus infection usually causes a mild disease in humans, but infection during early pregnancy often leads to severe congenital abnormalities [1]
This study was conducted between January 2006 and December 2009 among individuals presenting with febrile rash illness in 324 health care facilities spread across Akwa Ibom State
Examining infection by location revealed that rural dwellers (12.8%) were more susceptible to rubella than urban dwellers (10.5%) and the relative risk was slightly low, 0.941
Summary
Rubella virus infection usually causes a mild disease in humans, but infection during early pregnancy often leads to severe congenital abnormalities [1]. According to the world health organization (WHO) report [2], only 105 (49%) of 214 countries had introduced rubella vaccine in their national immunization programme [2]. The most serious consequences of the infection occur in newborns, if the mother acquired the infection during the first trimester of gestation This manifests in the form of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) which may include miscarriage, severe alterations in the growth and development of the foetus, and intra-uterine death [3]. Incidence of 8.7% recorded in 2006 gradually rose to 9.3% in 2007, 11.6% in 2008 and 14.3% in 2009 Those in the reproductive age group (> 16 years) were most affected (51.7%). The findings of this study can be used by policy makers to model the introduction of routine rubella vaccination into the country’ Expanded Program on Immunization Schedule (EPI)
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