LIFESTYLE NEWS - The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a large increase in rubella cases nationwide.
As of the end of September, over 8 700 IgM-positive cases of rubella have been identified, the NICD said in a statement today.
“Notably, 98% of these cases have affected children under 15, with the majority occurring in children aged five to nine.”
“The Centre for Vaccines and Immunology (CVI) at the NICD has identified an increase in rubella cases in 2024, surpassing the figures from fever-rash surveillance since 2015. This surge is attributed to many children entering 2024 without being exposed to rubella or being vaccinated against it.
“The large seasonal increase is because rubella is transmitted by droplets containing virus particles, and non-pharmaceutical interventions (lockdowns, social distancing and mask-wearing) applied during Covid-19 interrupted the natural seasonal transmission of rubella.”
“For 2020-2022, almost no rubella cases were identified from the National Department of Health/NICD fever-rash surveillance.
“Children who would have been infected with rubella over the past three years are now becoming infected.”
What is rubella?
Rubella is a mild, self-limiting infection that presents with fever and a maculopapular rash, myalgia, enlarged lymph nodes, headache and conjunctivitis. Occasionally, people may develop joint pain (arthralgia), low platelets and mild encephalitis.
“Pregnant women who are susceptible to rubella (who have not been vaccinated against rubella nor had natural rubella infection at some point in their lives) are at risk of passing rubella infection to their unborn child, resulting in ‘congenital rubella infection’.
“Fortunately, this is uncommon, as studies have shown that up to 98% of women of child-bearing age are immune to rubella,” the NICD said.
Congenital rubella syndrome may lead to foetal death or congenital abnormalities such as congenital heart disease, blindness and deafness.
“Any pregnant woman who has been exposed to a case of rubella, or a person with fever and rash should report this urgently to their health practitioner. The practitioner will conduct rubella testing to establish if the pregnant woman has been infected with rubella. A pregnant woman who is diagnosed with rubella infection should undergo specialist obstetric evaluation.”
Rubella is a notifiable medical condition which means that anyone who meets the case definition for rubella should be notified, and a blood specimen for rubella antibody testing should be sent to the NICD.
Specimens are routinely tested for measles and rubella. Given the backlog of tests at the NICD, priority rubella testing should be requested in the following circumstances:
- When a pregnant woman in her first trimester of pregnancy is exposed to a case of rubella or a person with fever and rash.
- When a test is required to rule out a diagnosis of rubella or measles in a patient who is severely ill and is admitted to hospital.
- When a neonate is suspected of having congenital rubella syndrome.
For more information about rubella during pregnancy, read the NICD’s frequently asked questions. Read the full rubella report.
