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- Title
Rubella natural immunity among adolescent girls in Tanzania: the need to vaccinate child bearing aged women.
- Authors
Mirambo, Mariam M.; Majigo, Mtebe; Scana, Seth D.; Mushi, Martha F.; Aboud, Said; Groß, Uwe; Kidenya, Benson R.; Mshana, Stephen E.
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>Rubella primary infection during early stages of pregnancy is associated with high risk of congenital Rubella syndrome (CRS). Prevention of CRS in the resource-limited countries requires multiple strategies. Here, we document the data on the magnitude of Rubella natural immunity among adolescent girls which is a crucial group in devising effective control strategies to prevent CRS.<bold>Methods: </bold>A cross sectional study involving 397 adolescent girls was conducted in the city of Mwanza involving five secondary schools. Socio-demographic and other relevant information were collected using pre-tested data collection tool. Rubella IgG antibodies were determined using enzyme immunoassay. The presence of Rubella IgG titers of >10 IU/ml indicated natural immunity.<bold>Results: </bold>The mean age of the study participants was 15.18 ± 1.48 years. Of 397 girls, 340 (85.6%) and 57 (14.4%) were from secondary schools representing peri-urban and rural areas, respectively. Out of 397 girls, 90.4% (95% CI: 87-93) were found to be naturally immune with median Rubella IgG antibodies titers of 56.7 IU/ml interquartile range (IQR): 40.8-137. The median Rubella IgG antibodies titers were significantly high in adolescent girls from families with high socio-economic status (63.96 vs. 47.13 IU/ml, P < 0.001) and in adolescent girls from peri-urban areas of the city (63.33 vs. 39.9 IU/ml, P < 0.001).<bold>Conclusion: </bold>The majority of adolescent girls in the city of Mwanza are naturally immune to Rubella virus. There is a need to compare the effectiveness of screening and vaccinating susceptible adolescent girls with the effectiveness of vaccinating all women of childbearing in controlling CRS in low-income countries.
- Subjects
TANZANIA; RUBELLA in pregnancy; TEENAGE girls' health; VACCINATION; CHILDBIRTH; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; IMMUNOASSAY; GENETIC disorders; COMPARATIVE studies; IMMUNITY; IMMUNIZATION; RESEARCH methodology; MEDICAL cooperation; NEEDS assessment; RESEARCH; RUBELLA; RURAL population; SOCIAL classes; SUBURBANITES; VIRAL antibodies; EVALUATION research; CROSS-sectional method; PREVENTION
- Publication
BMC Women's Health, 2018, Vol 18, p1
- ISSN
1472-6874
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1186/s12905-017-0505-9