1. Congenital Rubella Syndrome Surveillance in South Africa Using a Sentinel Site Approach: A Cross-sectional Study.
- Author
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Motaze NV, Manamela J, Smit S, Rabie H, Harper K, duPlessis N, Reubenson G, Coetzee M, Ballot D, Moore D, Nuttall J, Linley L, Tooke L, Kriel J, Hallbauer U, Sutton C, Moodley P, Hardie D, Mazanderani AH, Goosen F, Kyaw T, Leroux D, Hussain A, Singh R, Kelly C, Ducasse G, Muller M, Blaauw M, Hamese M, Leeuw T, Mekgoe O, Rakgole P, Dungwa N, Maphosa T, Sanyane K, Preiser W, Cohen C, and Suchard M
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Incidence, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Medical Records, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious epidemiology, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious virology, Prospective Studies, Qualitative Research, Retrospective Studies, Rubella virus, South Africa, Young Adult, Antibodies, Viral blood, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious prevention & control, Rubella Syndrome, Congenital epidemiology, Rubella Syndrome, Congenital prevention & control, Sentinel Surveillance
- Abstract
Background: Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) includes disorders associated with intrauterine rubella infection. Incidence of CRS is higher in countries with no rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) in their immunization schedules. In the World Health Organization African region, RCVs are being introduced as part of the 2012-2020 global measles and rubella strategic plan. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of confirmed CRS in South Africa prior to introduction of RCVs in the immunization schedule., Methods: This was a descriptive study with 28 sentinel sites reporting laboratory-confirmed CRS cases in all 9 provinces of South Africa. In the retrospective phase (2010 to 2014), CRS cases were retrieved from medical records, and in the prospective phase (2015 to 2017) clinicians at study sites reported CRS cases monthly., Results: There were 42 confirmed CRS cases in the retrospective phase and 53 confirmed CRS cases in the prospective phase. Most frequently reported birth defects were congenital heart disease and cataracts. The median age of mothers of CRS cases was 21 years in the retrospective phase (range: 11 to 38 years) and 22 years in the prospective phase (range: 15 to 38 years)., Conclusion: Baseline data on laboratory-confirmed CRS will enable planning and monitoring of RCV implementation in the South African Expanded Programme on Immunization program. Ninety-eight percent of mothers of infants with CRS were young women 14-30 years old, indicating a potential immunity gap in this age group for consideration during introduction of RCV., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.)
- Published
- 2019
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