Sero-prevalence of rubella among pregnant women in India, 2017

Abstract Background We conducted a sero-survey among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of six hospitals which also function as sentinel sites for CRS surveillance, to estimate the prevalence of IgG antibodies against rubella. Methods We systematically sampled1800 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics and tested their sera for IgG antibodies against rubella. We classified sera as seropositive (titre ≥10 IU/ml), sero-negative (titre Results Of 1800 sera tested, 1502 (83.4%) were seropositive and 24 (1.3%) were indeterminate and 274 (15.2%) were sero-negative. Rubellasero-positivity did not differ by age group, educational status or place of residence. Three hundred and eighty three (87.8%) of the 436 sera had IgG concentrations ≥10 IU/mL. Conclusion The results of the serosurvey indicate high levels of rubellasero-positivity in pregnant women. High sero-prevalence in the absence of routine childhood immunization indicates continued transmission of rubella virusin cities where sentinel sites are located.