Sero-prevalence of Rubella Virus Antibodies in Pregnant Women in the Vicinity of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Rubella virus is a member of family Togaviridae that usually causes a mild, self limiting infection in children and adults. The virus is of high public health significance owing to its ability to cause congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), abortion and still births. The clinical spectrum of CRS includes complete or partial blindness, sensorineural hearing defects, mental retardation, psychomotor delay and cardiac defects [1]. Although rubella vaccination has drastically reduced the incidence, approximately 100,000 children are still born with CRS worldwide as per the World Health Organization estimates [2]. Analysis of seroprevalence based statistical model indicates 46,621 births of infants with CRS annually in the SouthEast Asian Region (SEAR) during 20002009 [3]. Regional rubella surveillance data is essential to form a national strategy to curtail the morbidity due to rubella virus infection. Thus the present study was conducted to estimate the percentage of pregnant women in the vicinity of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP), susceptible to rubella virus infection. Material and Methods