Rubella infection: the Indian scene

Few studies have probed the problem of rubella in India. These few investigated seroepidemiology in female populations, carried out serosurveillance of pregnant women, and assessed the role of prenatal rubella in the causation of congenital malformations. Seroepidemiologic surveys showed that greater than 80% of women of childbearing age (15-34 years) in three cities of northern India had rubella antibodies, as detected by the hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) test, whereas only 56.8% of such women in Calcutta in eastern India had rubella antibodies. No studies have been done in other areas of India. Serosurveillance of pregnant women in Delhi showed that none of the 47 pregnant women lacking rubella HAI antibodies delivered congenitally malformed babies, although six women seroconverted during pregnancy. However, in Lucknow one of the 62 pregnant seronegative women delivered a baby with expanded congenital rubella syndrome after having had a clinically inapparent infection at 16-18 weeks of gestation. In addition, retrospective studies of infants with congenital malformations do suggest that prenatal rubella often was responsible for their condition.