Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region Public Health Institute, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Sci Rep. 2023 May 3;13(1):7220. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-34444-w.
Rubella virus infection during pregnancy has several effects on the developing fetus. However, little is known about the epidemiology of the infection in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the seroprevalence of rubella virus infection on consecutive 299 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in public health facilities in Halaba Town, Southern Ethiopia. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information on socio-demographic and reproductive characteristics. Venous blood samples were collected, and sera were tested for anti-rubella IgM and IgG using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-rubella IgG and IgM were detected in 265 (88.6%) and 15 (5.0%) of 299 participants, respectively. Pregnant women in their first trimester [crude odds ratio (cOR) = 4.26; 95% CI (1.47, 12.4)] were at increased risk of having anti-rubella IgM compared to those in their second and third trimesters. Urban residents [cOR = 4.06; 95% CI (1.94, 8.47)] were with a higher percentage of IgG positivity compared to rural residents. Anti-rubella IgG positivity was higher in housewives [cOR = 2.94; 95% CI (1.07, 8.04)] compared to self-employed women. Our findings showed a high prevalence of rubella virus exposure, and considerable percentages of recent infection and susceptible women to contracting the infection, emphasizing the importance of congenital rubella syndrome in the research area.
风疹病毒感染在怀孕期间对发育中的胎儿有多种影响。然而，人们对埃塞俄比亚该感染的流行病学知之甚少。本横断面研究评估了在埃塞俄比亚南部哈拉巴镇公立医疗设施的产前诊所连续就诊的 299 名孕妇的风疹病毒感染血清流行率。使用结构化问卷收集了社会人口统计学和生殖特征信息。采集静脉血样，使用酶联免疫吸附试验检测血清抗风疹 IgM 和 IgG。在 299 名参与者中，分别检测到 265 名（88.6%）和 15 名（5.0%）参与者的抗风疹 IgG 和 IgM。与第二和第三孕期相比，处于孕早期的孕妇[粗比值比（cOR）=4.26；95%置信区间（1.47,12.4）]更有可能具有抗风疹 IgM。与农村居民相比，城市居民[cOR=4.06；95%置信区间（1.94,8.47）]具有更高比例的 IgG 阳性率。与自营职业妇女相比，家庭主妇[cOR=2.94；95%置信区间（1.07,8.04）]的抗风疹 IgG 阳性率更高。我们的研究结果表明，风疹病毒暴露率较高，近期感染和易感染妇女的比例相当高，这强调了先天性风疹综合征在研究领域的重要性。
