Seroprevalence of Rubella Virus among Pregnant Women in the Red Sea Region of Sudan

Aims: We aimed to investigate the occurrence of the rubella virus among pregnant women, including those who had a history of abortions in the Red Sea region of Sudan.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Port Sudan referral tertiary hospital.

Methodology: Blood samples were collected at random from 100 participants who were pregnant or had a history of abortion and who were referred to the hospital. Side flow chromatography immunoassay was used for detection, and the Elisa technique was used for confirmation.

Results: From a total of 100 participants, rubella virus Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was detected in 20 (20%), and 80 were seronegative (80%). The seronegative Immunoglobulin M (IgM) was 0 (00.0%), with no participant had a recent infection. The prevalence of 11 rubella virus IgG was significantly high (P = .003) among the females who had abortions 61 (61%). However, no statistically significant relationship was found with the frequency of IgG of rubella virus and age, gestational age, level of education, or occupation.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of rubella infections was higher among pregnant females and who had a history of abortions in the Red Sea region. The detection of human rubella virus IgG previous infection was higher than IgG recent infection.