Sentinel Surveillance for Congenital Rubella Syndrome - India, 2016-2017

Rubella infection during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, fetal death, stillbirth, or a constellation of congenital malformations known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The 11 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region are committed to the elimination of measles and control of rubella and CRS by 2020. Until 2016, when the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research initiated surveillance for CRS in five sentinel sites, India did not conduct systematic surveillance for CRS. During the first 8 months of surveillance, 207 patients with suspected CRS were identified. Based on clinical details and serologic investigations, 72 (34.8%) cases were classified as laboratory-confirmed CRS, four (1.9%) as congenital rubella infection, 11 (5.3%) as clinically compatible cases, and 120 (58.0%) were excluded as noncases. The experience gained during the first phase of surveillance will be useful in expanding the surveillance network, and data from the surveillance network will be used to help monitor progress toward control of rubella and CRS in India.