Abstract
BACKGROUND
There is a dearth of information on the incidence and prevalence of rubella infection in Nigeria. The risk of congenital rubella in sero-negative pregnant women has been found to produce congenital abnormalities even in developed countries.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of rubella virus antibody in pregnant women.
SETTING
The place of study is the antenatal care clinic of Adeoyo State Hospital, Ibadan.
DESIGN
This is a cross-sectional study of primigravida women attending the antenatal care facilities in a general hospital The rubella IgG antibody of the women was detected in sera using the RUB IgG Test kit. This is a quantitative ELISA technique.
RESULT
The prevalence of rubella antibody in 159 pregnant women that participated in this study was 68.5% with a confidence interval of 64.8% - 72.2%. Women living in rural -urban areas have statistically significant higher prevalence of antibody than those in urban areas.
CONCLUSION
This prevalence of rubella antibody in pregnant women suggests 1 in 4 pregnant woman is susceptible and the foetus at risk of congenital rubella malformation.
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