Rubella IgM antibody positivity among samples of suspected Measles cases tested at a tertiary care centre of Western India
Abstract
Measles and Rubella are important vaccine preventable diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Objective of present study was to determine Rubella positivity among suspected Measles cases and to describe the epidemiology of Laboratory confirmed Rubella in Rajasthan. A descriptive observational study was conducted at Department of Microbiology, of a tertiary centre of Rajasthan. Samples received from suspected Measles cases from April 2015 to August 2016 were included in the study. The samples were first tested for Measles IgM and those negative for Measles IgM or showed equivocal results were tested for Rubella IgM. Out of total 563 eligible samples from suspected outbreak, 314 (55.8%) samples were found to be positive for Measles IgM. From remaining 249 samples negative for Measles IgM, 104 (18.4% from total suspected measels cases and 41.7% from negative for Measles IgM) were found to be positive for Rubella IgM. Most of these laboratory confirmed Rubella cases were in 5-9 years age group, occurring almost equally among males and females. Most cases were seen in month of March. So it is concluded that laboratory confirmation of every case of suspected Measles for Rubella is necessary for correct diagnosis and to know the true burden of disease. Inclusion of Rubella vaccine in the national immunization schedule is necessary to achieve control of Congenital Rubella Syndrome.
Keywords
Download Options
Introduction
The leading cause of child mortality in India is vaccine preventable diseases. The vaccine not only protects the children from potentially serious illnesses but also interrupts the diseases transmission in a community. However, in developing countries including India, a large proportion of children are either not immunized at all or partially immunized, resulting in higher infant and child mortality.1
Measles is endemic in areas with low vaccination rates, particularly in the developing world. It has been targeted for eradication as the fact that humans are the only reservoir 2 ; however, due to social and political factors and high transmissibility, elimination has been achieved in very few regions of the world.3,4 Rubella is a mild illness that presents with fever and rash. The public health importance of Rubella is because infection in the early months of pregnancy usually affects foetal development. Rubella infection of the foetus can result in miscarriage, foetal death or the birth of an infant with serious congenital birth defects. Congenital Rubella syndrome (CRS) is an important cause of blindness, deafness, congenital heart disease and mental retardation. 5
Conclusion
It can be concluded from this study that the presence of Rubella was found 18.4% of clinically suspected measles cases, which says that it is on a significant scale in Rajasthan. Laboratory confirmation of each and every case of suspected Measles should be done not only for Measles but also for Rubella. In the community, a case based surveillance activity is necessary to know the true burden of disease. Improving immunization coverage and inclusion of Rubella vaccine in the national immunization schedule are necessary steps taken to achieve the national goal of Measles elimination and control of Congenital Rubella Syndrome.